The Jaffe Briefing - December 10, 2020
TRENTON – As everything in New Jersey is political, here’s another one: Debate is brewing in Trenton to determine if school kids will be required to take the COVID-19 vaccine before they are allowed back in, NJ.com reports. That vaccine would be among the list of other vaccines the kiddies must take. Such debate is relevant, but certainly premature, as no one really knows if this new vaccine will work and if it will be so widely available that it can be required for every school district. And what does this all mean for the state’s 14,000 kids who avoid vaccination, citing religious exemption or health conditions? Also, if the new vaccine is mandated, where does it stop? Colleges? Workplaces? Retirement homes? Expect this all to be magically hashed out in the coming months, as Trenton will have to ultimately issue some concrete direction for the future of public health.
TRENTON – And, on the complete opposite side of the scale, a Republican lawmaker says no one should be forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger vows he is not anti-vaccine, but is “anti-mandatory vaccine,” NJ 101.5 reports. He wants the vaccine to be a personal choice, while Gov. Phil Murphy hopes that people will roll up their sleeves voluntarily, “of their own free will, will come to this.” That can happen in two ways: An intensive marketing campaign that proves the vaccine is safe, and the desperate desire of New Jerseyans to return to normal, communal living.
BRIEFING BREATHER
The majority of your brain is fat.
ON THE ROAD – When we stop at a red light, take a swig of coffee, adjust the radio, yell at a kid in the back seat, take a bite of an egg sandwich, check Waze and gesture to the maniac in the other lane, some state lawmakers believe we may be distracted from making a phone call. Sheesh. Apparently, these politicians think we are somewhat distracted these days on New Jersey’s traffic-clogged roadways. And that is why Sen. Dick Codey and others want to ban us from holding a phone in our hands while at that red light. His law would make that act akin to “texting while driving,” even though the vehicle is at a full stop. Violators would be fined at least $200 – certainly news worthy of a text when you hit the next light.
STATEWIDE – If you are a smiling, local politician claiming you won’t raise property taxes, here’s yet another roadblock. The state is hitting county and local government with up to a 10% increase in the amount of cash they are required to pay for pensions. Despite the towns reeling from the pandemic and hoping that enough people pay their taxes to fill municipal coffers, the state says that its pensioners are living longer, while long-term projected returns have been adjusted. That’s a direct smack at local government, adding to the pile of other challenges, such as skyrocketing recycling costs and contractual obligations. Still vowing no tax increase on 2021? Yeah, good luck.
IN THE MEDIA
NEW BRUNSWICK – If you are from Central Jersey and addicted to local news, this next sentence will strike a chord. Jack Ellery is dead of COVID 19 at age 86, TAPInto New Brunswick reports. Ellery, who joined 1450 WCTC-AM radio in 1963, had a 44-year stint as the “Voice of Central Jersey.” Remembered by old-timers as the young radio reporter covering Kennedy’s assassination from the streets of downtown New Brunswick, Ellery ran a morning news show in which anyone can call in to talk about whatever was top of mind, no matter how granular or irrelevant. The always-affable, liberal host seemed to find ways to agree with his callers – often a stretch when some would liken Milltown to Mars or Piscataway to Pluto. His distinct voice – and his love for his listeners – will be remembered for a long time.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BRUSSELS – Bet your town hall is adorned with American flags, zoning maps and photos of dead men who served as mayor a century ago. But in Brussels, there was a curious painting: an apparent copy of a long-lost work by early 17th century Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens. Yep, you can see where this is headed. A recent inventory project revealed that this painting of Jesus, Joseph, Mary and Ste. Anne was a Jordaens original, hanging right in front of everyone’s noses. It seems that someone around 60 years ago was looking to fill a spot on the wall in the planning department. No clue where it came from, but now this painting from 1617 is being fully restored for public display. Town leaders, eager to fill the wall space, are now considering the Magna Carta.
BAR GRAMMAR
Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2010 that the U.S. admitted that it had no clue who owned more than 119,000 private planes.
WORD OF THE DAY
Incogitant – [in·cog·i·tant] – adjective
Definition: Thoughtless, inconsiderate
Example: I can’t stand incogitant litterbugs.
WIT OF THE DAY
“It’s hard to walk away from a winning streak, even harder to leave the table when you’re on a losing one.”
– Cara Bertoia
TODAY'S TRUMPISM
“At 10:00 P.M. on Election Evening, we were at 97% win with the so-called bookies.”
-Donald J. Trump
WEATHER IN A WORD
Warmer
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
TheNew60Comic.Com
TRENTON – As everything in New Jersey is political, here’s another one: Debate is brewing in Trenton to determine if school kids will be required to take the COVID-19 vaccine before they are allowed back in, NJ.com reports. That vaccine would be among the list of other vaccines the kiddies must take. Such debate is relevant, but certainly premature, as no one really knows if this new vaccine will work and if it will be so widely available that it can be required for every school district. And what does this all mean for the state’s 14,000 kids who avoid vaccination, citing religious exemption or health conditions? Also, if the new vaccine is mandated, where does it stop? Colleges? Workplaces? Retirement homes? Expect this all to be magically hashed out in the coming months, as Trenton will have to ultimately issue some concrete direction for the future of public health.
TRENTON – And, on the complete opposite side of the scale, a Republican lawmaker says no one should be forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger vows he is not anti-vaccine, but is “anti-mandatory vaccine,” NJ 101.5 reports. He wants the vaccine to be a personal choice, while Gov. Phil Murphy hopes that people will roll up their sleeves voluntarily, “of their own free will, will come to this.” That can happen in two ways: An intensive marketing campaign that proves the vaccine is safe, and the desperate desire of New Jerseyans to return to normal, communal living.
BRIEFING BREATHER
The majority of your brain is fat.
ON THE ROAD – When we stop at a red light, take a swig of coffee, adjust the radio, yell at a kid in the back seat, take a bite of an egg sandwich, check Waze and gesture to the maniac in the other lane, some state lawmakers believe we may be distracted from making a phone call. Sheesh. Apparently, these politicians think we are somewhat distracted these days on New Jersey’s traffic-clogged roadways. And that is why Sen. Dick Codey and others want to ban us from holding a phone in our hands while at that red light. His law would make that act akin to “texting while driving,” even though the vehicle is at a full stop. Violators would be fined at least $200 – certainly news worthy of a text when you hit the next light.
STATEWIDE – If you are a smiling, local politician claiming you won’t raise property taxes, here’s yet another roadblock. The state is hitting county and local government with up to a 10% increase in the amount of cash they are required to pay for pensions. Despite the towns reeling from the pandemic and hoping that enough people pay their taxes to fill municipal coffers, the state says that its pensioners are living longer, while long-term projected returns have been adjusted. That’s a direct smack at local government, adding to the pile of other challenges, such as skyrocketing recycling costs and contractual obligations. Still vowing no tax increase on 2021? Yeah, good luck.
IN THE MEDIA
NEW BRUNSWICK – If you are from Central Jersey and addicted to local news, this next sentence will strike a chord. Jack Ellery is dead of COVID 19 at age 86, TAPInto New Brunswick reports. Ellery, who joined 1450 WCTC-AM radio in 1963, had a 44-year stint as the “Voice of Central Jersey.” Remembered by old-timers as the young radio reporter covering Kennedy’s assassination from the streets of downtown New Brunswick, Ellery ran a morning news show in which anyone can call in to talk about whatever was top of mind, no matter how granular or irrelevant. The always-affable, liberal host seemed to find ways to agree with his callers – often a stretch when some would liken Milltown to Mars or Piscataway to Pluto. His distinct voice – and his love for his listeners – will be remembered for a long time.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BRUSSELS – Bet your town hall is adorned with American flags, zoning maps and photos of dead men who served as mayor a century ago. But in Brussels, there was a curious painting: an apparent copy of a long-lost work by early 17th century Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens. Yep, you can see where this is headed. A recent inventory project revealed that this painting of Jesus, Joseph, Mary and Ste. Anne was a Jordaens original, hanging right in front of everyone’s noses. It seems that someone around 60 years ago was looking to fill a spot on the wall in the planning department. No clue where it came from, but now this painting from 1617 is being fully restored for public display. Town leaders, eager to fill the wall space, are now considering the Magna Carta.
BAR GRAMMAR
Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2010 that the U.S. admitted that it had no clue who owned more than 119,000 private planes.
WORD OF THE DAY
Incogitant – [in·cog·i·tant] – adjective
Definition: Thoughtless, inconsiderate
Example: I can’t stand incogitant litterbugs.
WIT OF THE DAY
“It’s hard to walk away from a winning streak, even harder to leave the table when you’re on a losing one.”
– Cara Bertoia
TODAY'S TRUMPISM
“At 10:00 P.M. on Election Evening, we were at 97% win with the so-called bookies.”
-Donald J. Trump
WEATHER IN A WORD
Warmer
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
TheNew60Comic.Com