The Jaffe Briefing - September 29, 2020

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – So, it is Debate Night in America. And it is a long-awaited moment for anyone who wants to see Donald Trump clash against Joe Biden. Of course, with any big, national news, there is always a Jersey angle. And today’s new nugget is no different, with word that former Gov. Chris Christie has been busy helping the President with his debate prep for tonight’s must-see 9 p.m. event. This is Christie’s second round, as he served as “Hillary” during the 2016 ramp-up. Also on the prep team is former good guy Rudolph Giuliani, always ready with his pearls of wisdom on how best to distort, distract and darken. With these guys, expect Trump to break out of the gate snarling and salivating.

STATEWIDE – No doubt, this pandemic has many victims on many levels. One group has been the state’s special needs students, who have been coping with remote learning since March. NJTV reports about how students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are falling through the cracks, not fully completing the previous grade in the spring and now expected to perform at a higher level this fall, again remotely, and with minimal interaction with their peers. Students with attention deficits, poor social skills, autism and many other disabilities continue to struggle at home, without the help of a classroom aide. They also struggle to communicate their needs to parents and caregivers, as they fall farther and farther behind, as parents and teachers pray for solutions in Month Seven. The effect will reverberate for years.

STATEWIDE – There’s been a lot of talk about the state’s gas tax – now the fourth highest among the states. The gas tax goes up again on Thursday, NJ.com reports, and it’s important to note if and how this will affect people. Gas is dirt cheap these days, even with the tax rate increasing to 50.7 cents a gallon. So, commuters (those of us who still go to work) will certainly grumble over yet another spike, while others note that GasBuddy.com is showing gas stations where you can buy regular for under $2 a gallon. So, yes, there will be grumbling. But New Jerseyans won’t really feel the new tax until this glutted market finally sells off all those extra barrels.

BRIEFING BREATHER

Only 5% of the ocean has been explored.

STATEWIDE – Our fingers tremble across the keys. Our eyes jitter back and forth. We can’t stop talking. It could only mean one thing: National Coffee Day. To celebrate, all of our favorite coffee haunts have been offering specials all morning long. Like the Booskerdoo in Monmouth Beach, with free coffee when we buy our blueberry muffin. Or, special deals at all the standard places, like Starbucks, Wawa, McDonald’s, QuickChek and, of course, Dunkin, which has decided to own the day, coining it “National Dunkin’ Day,” because, well, they are everywhere.

STATEWIDE – Anyone who needs a COVID-19 test immediately, and is forced to wait 5-7 days for results, realizes there’s something terribly wrong with this system that’s been dragging for months. And that’s why state officials are eagerly welcoming 2.6 million rapid tests that are coming from the feds. Rather than waiting days on end, and hopefully quarantining in the process, test takers will now get their results in just 15 minutes. NJ.com reports that New Jersey will get about 170,000 tests a week, which hopefully can be administered for free or very cheaply. Currently, these rapid tests are extremely limited, with providers charging $100 or so, depending on insurance, co-pay, etc., etc. The first batch comes in mid-October; watch and see how rapid testing drops the state’s COVID rate.

NEW BRUNSWICK – As Rutgers plans for some sort of normalcy this spring, it could not come soon enough for the many businesses along Easton Avenue and other local streets where RU students spend their limited money. While there are upwards of 10,000 students living off-campus during this time of virtual learning, there’s no question the local economy eagerly awaits increased in-person classes and dorm living in the spring. It has been a long slog, beginning when the university shut down in the spring and now continuing, with no in-person Big 10 football or other traditional school events that attract people. Expect returning students to be warmly welcomed with plenty of pizza and beer specials, as local business owners look to clink their plastic Solo cups in relief.

NEWARK – Following the Civil War, freed Black slaves were denied the “40 acres and a mule” promised to them. More than 150 years later, Newark is repurposing that failed promise as a rallying cry to raise a $100 million investment fund to put money directly in the hands of the city’s minority business owners, TAPInto Newark reports. The “Forty Acres and a Mule” Fund, is seeking donations from the city’s business and non-profit sectors, with $2 million secured, to date, and high hopes of $10 million by the end of the year. All great, and vital, especially if this private support can be generated during the pandemic and its aftermath. 

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

BINH DUONG, VIETNAM – Well, if they worked once, why not again? CNN suggests that was the rationale for the culprits who were caught cleaning used condoms and selling them as new. Authorities were able to confiscate 345,000 used contraceptives, equal to 800 pounds of latex. Footage broadcast by state-owned Vietnam Television (VTV) showed dozens of large bags of used rubbers scattered across the floor of a warehouse. Okay, we gotta know, how do you recycle a prophylactic? Well, these scoundrels would boil them in water, dry them and then reshape them with wooden phalluses, before they were repackaged and sold “for her protection.” Unclear what “gently-used condoms” sell for, but workers were paid just 17 cents for each kilogram of their recycling operation.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1977 that the “Star Wars” theme, by Meco, hit No. 1 on the charts, as the top song in the nation.

WORD OF THE DAY

Emollient – [ih-MAHL-yunt] – noun

Definition: Something that softens or soothes

Example: With all this hand sanitizer everywhere, I am recommending a generous dollop of some kind of emollient to keep your hands from drying out.

WIT OF THE DAY

“The income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government.”

-Barry Goldwater

TODAY'S TRUMPISM

“The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits.”

-Donald J. Trump

WEATHER IN A WORD

Wet

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