The Jaffe Briefing - June 4, 2019
TRENTON - Gov. Phil Murphy is so determined to pass a millionaire's tax that he's resorting to outright bribery. Here's the latest deal: If he gets his new tax, New Jersey property taxpayers would get $125 in cold, hard cash. (Actually, it would be a refundable tax credit.) The hope is that you jump on this $125 and pressure your stubborn state representatives to vote YES on the governor's controversial plan to raise income tax rates for millionaires from 8.97% to 10.75%. And, if you act now, Murphy may also be willing to finally replace that beat-up "Stop" sign at your corner, and maybe, just maybe, fill in up to three (3) potholes within a quarter-mile of your house. (Use coupon code: JaffeBriefing) Now, we know this all seems too good to be true, and maybe most of it isn't. But detractors are taking this $125 offering quite seriously, noting it is equivalent to just 1.4 percent of the typical property tax bill. Hmmm. Perhaps Murphy can throw in some free tickets to see his women's soccer team. General Admission only.
TRENTON - Call it electrifying news. Gov. Phil Murphy has a two-pronged plan to clean up New Jersey's transportation sector - the source of 40 percent of the state's greenhouse-gas emissions. He's dedicating $16 million to deploy electric garbage trucks, school buses, and other eco-friendly vehicles. Second, he's investing $7 million into a statewide fast-charging infrastructure. That's critical: Zero-emission vehicles aren't going to gain much traction if motorists suffer from range anxiety, that disquieting fear that they'll run out of juice before they reach the next charging station. Murphy has created a partnership to get this job done, comprising the state's Department of Environmental Protection, Board of Public Utilities, and Economic Development Authority. NJ Spotlight hopes they don't get in each other's way.
VERNON - The local guy known as the state's worst illegal dumper is finally being ordered to clean up. A state Superior Court judge is the latest official to tell a Vernon resident to remove the seven-story-tall mountain of dirt and debris on his residential property at 3 Silver Spruce Drive in otherwise lovely Vernon. NJ.com reports the judge also wants to know what the heck is in this 75-foot soil pile, forcing the resident to do testing for what could be chemical contamination affecting the neighborhood. The resident vows to fight all this, his lawyer says. Another big concern is that this "Citizen of the Year" just flees this property, leaving others to deal with his mountains of mess, as the cost of complying with the judge's orders may not be worth it.
STATEWIDE - It is a real head-scratcher: Why are there so many more cases of lice in New Jersey? NJ 101.5 reports that busy lice clinics are reporting a 93% uptick in treatments this spring, as it is believed these little critters have built up a remedy to the over-the-counter remedies. Another possible reason? Selfies. Kids are putting their heads together a lot more these days, apparently, causing bugs to bounce around. With summer season upon us - and camps and swimming pools serving as party zones for lice - parents should poke around their kids' heads as much as possible. Because the kids love that.
CAMDEN - He was a Vietnam War hero, injured in battle. He was then a great municipal prosecutor, ultimately presiding as a Superior Court judge in Camden County. So, why is the state stripping him of his pension? For having sex with a boy in Russia and bringing back a tape of the act, NJ.com reports. The 72-year-old judge, who served a federal prison sentence after using his court-appointed laptop to connect with the boy, will lose $51,916 annually in pension payments. Some sweet justice: the decision was upheld by the administrative law courts, where this disgraced former judge once served.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PASADENA, TX - A family bought a graduation cake at a Walmart, figuring they would get chocolate or vanilla, but ended up with Styrofoam. Assume it took a few bites to be 100 % sure it wasn't just the typical plastic taste of a Walmart cake. ABC13 Eyewitness News tells this story of two local sisters who headed to a Walmart bakery, of all places, to order a two-tier cake. Surprising to no one, when it came time to pick up the cake, it hadn't been made. So the manager just told them to select a cake from the pre-made case. How special. Everything then appeared fine, until it was time to cut what was quickly learned to be a fake cake. And - ahhh - nothing marks a celebration like the fine taste of polystyrene. Walmart apologized, as it often does, providing gift cards and a real cake (allegedly).
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Apparently, Vermont is not just a place to wear plaid, hold a never-ending garage sale on your front lawn and guzzle can after can of beer. You can actually be a resident there, says Gov. Phil Scott. It was one year ago the state announced it will pay people up to $10,000 to move up north. You just need to be employed by an out-of-state business, who is willing to allow you to work remotely from Vermont. This grand experiment was on a first-come, first-served basis, with $500,000 budgeted to woo the masses.
WORD OF THE DAY
Opportune - [ah-pər-TOON] - adjective
Definition: Appropriately timed
Example: It's hoped that your Styrofoam cake will arrive at the opportune time.
WIT OF THE DAY
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"You are a manipulator. I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer."
- J.R. Ward
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WEATHER IN A WORD
Beauty
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
