TRENTON - It is very, very lonely in the governor's office. Perhaps Gov. Phil Murphy needs to get a goldfish, let's call him "Murph," so there will at least be one "friend" who will not vote against him. The state Legislature - mostly comprising fellow Democrats who are supposed to be allies - overwhelmingly approved their very own state budget that adds hundreds of millions of dollars in elective spending but no new major tax revenue. Politico reports a "clear rebuke" of Murphy, who is now selecting which veto pen he will use on this proposed spending plan if his fellow Democrats refuse to negotiate. Many, many Democrats, including some of the governor's so-called friends, backed this Legislature-driven budget. Meanwhile, the Republicans are quietly sitting back, watching the Democrats eat one another and plotting for a triumphant return to the governor's office in 2021.
TRENTON - At least our state lawmakers appear on the same page when it comes to gun control. New Jersey is marching towards having the tightest gun control laws on the planet, with the state Legislature sending Murphy (and Murph) several bills that just need the governor's signature. The most interesting law deals with so-called smart guns, or childproof guns, that can only be fired by their designated owners. Every gun seller in New Jersey would have to offer this personalized handgun model for sale, NJ.com reports. Sounds perfect. The same bill was twice vetoed by former Gov. Chris Christie, who called it "reflective of the relentless campaign by the Democratic Legislature to make New Jersey as inhospitable as possible to lawful gun ownership and sales." Yup.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - Hard to tell what is real, genuine outrage, and what is just political elbowing, in a very crowded Democratic field for President. But score one for Sen. Cory Booker, who has managed to grab some fleeting national headlines from the pack by attacking the frontrunner, former VP Joe Biden. Booker is yelling for Biden to apologize for citing two Southern segregationist senators as examples of civility in politics. Biden is unclear why he would apologize, saying "there's not a racist bone in my body." The New York Times reports that Biden called Booker to decrease the tensions. But if there is no outrage, are there still any headlines?
PENNS GROVE - Where's that darn music coming from? That's what local residents are demanding to know, with a local cop even traveling across the Delaware River (and across state lines) to find the source of this mysterious, bass-filled music in Delaware, NJ.com reports. The music, which has been described locally as a sickening, pulsing heartbeat, was first heard back in October, ticking off people in Penns Grove, as well as Carneys Point, Pennsville and some other South Jersey towns we've never heard of. People went to social media to complain, and even tried to get the Wilmington P.D. in Delaware to investigate. The music comes on sporadically, no one can really tell when. But it makes for some awful nights on the Delaware River, unless you truly enjoy someone else's terrible music, akin to a birthing cow.
TRENTON - The battle over marijuana has been raging, well, since Gov. Phil Murphy took the oath of office. It looks like state lawmakers are finally got on the same page to expand the state's medical marijuana program. Yesterday, a bill passed in both the Senate and Assembly, and the governor is expected to sign it soon. Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? One provision in the bill,
according to NJ Spotlight, is for "consumption lounges." Perhaps they could provide for one among the ongoing State House renovations - for medicinal purposes, of course. It could do wonders.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
MADRID - There's some great blue cheese, just don't expect to see itanytime soon in your local Buffalo Wild Wings. A Spanish restaurant owner has set the Guinness World Record for the most expensive cheese ever sold at auction, when he bought 5.78 pounds of artisan blue cheese for $16,142.41. Why? Because this is nacho typical cheese. It is Cabrales cheese, one of the strongest, most recognized
blue cheeses in the world, maturing inside the caves of the Picos de Europa mountain range in Spain. It spends three to six months in the caves with shepherds rubbing and turning the cheese to help along the maturating process. This restaurant owner competed against 15 others bidding on the blue cheese over a frenzied two hours, as there seemed to be no limit on the madness. Don't be surprised when this "winner" sells his cheeseburgers for $1,000 a pop.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
If you want to dazzle that cute lady at the end of the bar, saunter on up and pose this trivia question: "Which two U.S. Presidents were married on this day?" Hmmm.
It was on this day in 1810 that 26-year-old Zachary Taylor married Margaret Smith, age 31, in her sister's log house in Louisville, Kentucky. And, 130 years later, the sexy Casanova known as Dick Nixon married Patricia Ryan.
Duende - [DWEN-day] - noun
Definition: The power to attract through personal
magnetism and charm
Example: As a bachelor, Richard Nixon was possessed with such entrancing duende that no woman could turn him away.
WIT OF THE DAY
"The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think."
- Horace Walpole
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WEATHER IN A WORD
Mud
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
