The Jaffe Briefing - January 28, 2021

STATEWIDE – There are Democrats in the White House, Congress and Trenton, so does that mean tax-weary residents will get their full federal property tax deduction restored? New Jersey’s Congressional delegation is rushing to the rescue, the Record reports, calling for the full tax break that helps soften the blow for property owners in high-tax states like New Jersey. You may recall the former president famously capped the deduction at $10,000 on our federal taxes. That move meant nothing for places likes Kentucky, where property taxes are akin to pocket change. But it was a direct slam on New Jersey, New York and other Blue states, where we famously get little relief from DC. Removing the cap would help right the ship, as Rep. Josh Gottheimer calls it a “key to the health of our economy.” Amen.

TRENTON – So, you want high home values, leafy neighborhoods and your kids getting into good colleges? Then, you have to pay. And that is certainly what New Jersey taxpayers do, with Politico reporting that education spending in the state has risen to more than $17,000 per student. For the 2019-20 school year, the state budgeted an average of 17,028 per kid, an alarming jump of $2,300 in the last two years for 1.4 million of our fresh-faced little cherubs. Another reason why you are seeing such a spike in taxes.

STATEWIDE – New Jersey is promised another 390,000 doses of vaccine over the next three weeks, and there are high hopes that school teachers will be among those who have a fair shot of getting a dose. Gov. Phil Murphy tells CNN that teachers are “next up to bat” when the eligibility criteria expands once again. He is certainly sympathetic to teachers, as a consistent advocate for as much in-person learning as possible. So, help is coming, our governor vows, as he copes with this obvious “big supply-demand imbalance.”

BRIEFING BREATHER

Coca-Cola has never been patented. To do that, the company would have to reveal its formula. 

HOBOKEN – Our state has plenty of quirky local food festivals honoring everything from pork roll to crawfish. This Sunday comes “Mutzfest,” celebrating Hoboken’s best ooey, gooey, milky Italian cheese: Mozzarella! This oddly – yet appropriately – named event is the Hoboken Family Alliance’s yearly fundraiser for a host of community projects. Only the city’s best mutz-makers – this year, six delis and restaurants – get invited to whip up their most delicious dishes. Unlike past years, COVID-19 restrictions means there’s no big indoor gathering. So, the ninth-annual Mutzfest will be more of a “MutzCrawl” with visitors traipsing around to those eateries or picking up “to-go” meals at the Elks Club. Still, darn appetizing.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

WASHINGTON – And, speaking of food, today’s Star-Ledger has a lovely and completely irrelevant story about toasted bagels. It could not come at a better time, as all the other news of the day is about high taxes, no vaccine, legislative log jams, angry teachers and new strains of the coronavirus. So, let’s talk about fresh bagels. The newspaper noted that Joe Biden made headlines during his inauguration for stopping off for a sesame bagel with cream cheese. The problem? The 46th President of our union asked for his bagel to be toasted. And who does that to a fresh bagel, “robbing its natural beauty,”? Of course, DC-based bagels can not compete with anything you find at a Jersey bagel shop. But toasting it? C’mon Joe.

PLYMOUTH, England – If you have a great time visiting Plymouth Hoe, you may have a problem gushing about this popular seaside landmark on social media. Facebook has been taking down any reference to Plymouth Hoe, thinking it was some sort of misogynistic term. Posts like, “I had a great time with the hoe!” and “Boy, that hoe is gorgeous!” and “I can’t wait to pay money to go see that hoe” had a hard time seeing daylight, as Facebook screeners kept knocking down the references to the tourist site. Some even saw their accounts temporarily suspended, being accused of using offensive language. Hoe no.

BAR GRAMMAR

An allusion walks into a bar, despite the fact that alcohol is its Achilles heel.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

We learn a plane is coming on this day in 1978, when “Fantasy Island” debuts in 1978 on ABC.

WORD OF THE DAY

Itinerant – [eye-TIN-uh-runt] – adjective

Definition: Traveling from place to place

Example: If this PR gig doesn’t pan out, I’m thinking about becoming an itinerant preacher.

WIT OF THE DAY

“When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, holler."

-Al Gore

BIDEN BLURB

“We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated, and even manufactured.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Arctic