The Jaffe Briefing - November 11, 2020
STATEWIDE – During four years as president, Donald Trump messed with New Jersey in two major ways: Refusing to fund the desperately-needed Gateway Tunnel and stripping the full federal deduction for our property taxes. And, so, with no surprise, state officials are placing those two items at the top of the wish list for the incoming Biden Administration. Prior to Trump, it seemed we were humming along with the feds to build the tunnel. And, prior to Trump, our federal tax deduction for property taxes was not capped at an unrealistic $10,000. Elections matter, as they say, and this election, it seems, will directly benefit this Blue state. Finally.
STATEWIDE – Not to be a big downer, but ROI-NJ cautions us to take a deep, collective breath about the heavily-hyped Pfizer vaccine. The analysis only focused on 94 cases, showing these individuals were 90% better protected from COVID-19 than others who were not vaccinated. Good news, of course, but Pfizer is extrapolating data from this teeny-tiny sample that would ultimately need to cover hundreds of billions of people. Other fine print: the Pfizer vaccine requires two separate doses, 21 days apart, while other companies are now testing a single dose. And there have been no head-to-head trials, as of yet, among these competitors. So, again, deep breath, folks.
NOT NEW JERSEY – Major stock exchanges are ratcheting up threats to flee New Jersey, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will eagerly welcome representatives to Austin on Nov. 20 to talk about all the great goodies that the Lone Star State has to offer. Texas obviously is salivating over the possibility of Nasdaq and others moving south, the Dallas Morning News reports. “Texas continues to be the premier economic destination in the country, attracting more leading businesses than any other state,” a spokeswoman said, directly blaming New Jersey’s proposed tax on financial transactions for this big Texas opportunity. This is cut-throat stuff. New Jersey can’t win. It’s time to send some gift baskets to Wall Street with a heartfelt apology – before we lose this gem forever.
BRIEFING BREATHER
High heels were originally worn by men.
STATEWIDE – The pandemic has prompted crazy things. Weddings must now end at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving guests are urged to wear masks between bites of turkey. And the chance of finding an open MVC office is akin to spotting a Trump sign in Newark. Yet, most of our public schools remain hell-bent on remaining open, at least in a hybrid model. NJ Spotlight reports that more than 500 of the 800 surveyed school districts, charter schools and special needs schools are open, to some degree. The trend is for less and less districts to remain all-remote, no matter the surge in COVID-19 cases. The message is obvious: all-remote just can’t replace face-to-face instruction.
SOUTH HARRISON – There’s plenty of frustration at this speck of a South Jersey school district, where voters refuse to spend any money to clean up a mercury-ladened floor in the all-purpose room of the town’s only elementary school. NJ.com reports that voters shot down a $1 million bond proposal on Election Day – after rejecting a similar plan in March. School officials are flummoxed, calling it “quite the gamble” to put students in a room with such a glaring hazard. There will not be a third bond referendum for these desperately-needed repairs, it seems. Perhaps the plan is just to wait until the floor breaks down over time and releases toxic fumes to the direct peril of generations of students. But, in the end, taxpayers will save $1 million. Seems fair. Here’s hoping the South Harrison Elementary School students grow up healthy, remain in town, and then vote to demolish the senior center.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, MA – Frustrated with the local DPW crew that keeps ignoring the gaping potholes, a Massachusetts man has figured out a way to earn national attention: By planting Christmas trees in the holes along a busy highway. The resident hatched the idea to plant trees on Saturday night when, on his way to pick up dinner, his car was continually slammed with bone-jarring potholes on Route 1. All four of his tires flattened, a $600 bill fueling his seething anger. After years of complaints to town hall, the resident devised a solution to get attention. “I needed to make sure that it got fixed one way or another,” he told WJAR-TV. So, he headed to Home Depot for soil and trees and began planting on Monday morning. Police did not seem pleased. “Looks like someone is getting into the Christmas spirit early...guess that is one way to fill pot holes?” the North Attleborough cops posted on Facebook. The trees have now been removed and the potholes fixed – a sweet victory for the little guy.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Don’t expect Ford to hype this day in 2014 when it quietly replaced steel with aluminum on its signature truck, the F-150, to save production and fuel costs. Aluminum doesn’t exactly scream: “Ford Tough.”
WORD OF THE DAY
Octothorpe – [AHK-tuh-thorp] – noun
Definition: The symbol #
Example: #TrumpConcede
WIT OF THE DAY
“In America, anyone can become president. That’s the problem.”
-George Carlin
TODAY'S TRUMPISM
“People will not accept this rigged election!”
-Donald J. Trump
WEATHER IN A WORD
Puddles
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
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