The Jaffe Briefing - November 11, 2021

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS – So, this Bergen County town hires a NYC law firm to battle its affordable housing obligations. The lawyers then amass $723,416 in legal fees before – whoops – being denied special status to practice law in New Jersey. There are so many questions here, like: Why would a New Jersey municipality hire expensive, out-of-state, unlicensed lawyers? New Jersey is home to 1,000 lawyers per square inch; Englewood Cliffs could certainly find someone for a free consultation. One of the NYC lawyers provided a “discounted” rate of $1,200 an hour; the other charged the bargain-basement rate of $980 an hour. And now – taxpayers are certainly asking – what’s next? Kudos to Mayor Mario Kranjac on his spin, telling the Record that the appellate court’s decision to reject his NYC lawyers is proof that he’s “on the right and clear path to seeking justice for our residents” and that the “days of the NJ affordable housing scam and corruption are about to end.” But not in Englewood Cliffs, currently without attorneys allowed to litigate.

STATEWIDE – New Jersey wants to have 330,000 electric vehicles on our roads by 2025, a huge jump over the current 30,420. Sounds great, but NJ Spotlight reports there’s a heap of unanswered questions. Here’s some: What to do with people who can’t charge their vehicles at home? They would need charging stations, akin to gas stations. But recharging takes at least five times longer than filling up with gas — 30 minutes for a fast charge versus five minutes for a fuel stop — so gas stations would be replaced with charging stations, requiring plenty more space to accommodate slow-charging electrical cars. That’ll put plenty of pressures on our cities, as well as on the highways. And what about our rural areas, where you can go miles without one darn recharging station? And, of course, who will pay for all these new chargers, at $100,000 a pop? And can the state’s electrical grid handle all this? And since electrical vehicles are largely being sold to the wealthy, and tend to be expensive, how do we get them in the hands of lower-income people? And, then, where the heck would they charge them?

STATEWIDE – Do things seem, well, a bit expensive these days? The feds say inflation is at 6% this year, more than double a typical year, at a 31-year high. And that’s why we are paying 20% more for beef, 12% more for furniture and 10% more for cars, if you can find one. In fact, there typically are 500,000 automobiles for sale on lots around the country, while today there are only 75,000 and that slick salesman is not so interested in your low-ball deal. And why? Supply chain issues, again and again, and plenty of finger pointing about who is choking the economy. Moody's, which always offers the calm perspective on economic issues, says inflation should be under control next year, if we can get by this pandemic. So, if you absolutely need something, buy it. If you don’t, how about waiting just a bit?

BRIEFING BREATHER

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

JACKSON - It’s been a real culinary coaster ride for Dylan, a 33-year-old electrical engineer who ate two meals a day for seven years at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California – a sister of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. It was a carousel of corn dogs and a tilt-a-whirl of tacos as the man took every advantage of the offer of two free squares a day that come with an annual $150 year-round admission fee (also offered in Jackson.) It was low-budget binging or bust (or burst arteries?) as he used the money he would have otherwise spent on fruits and vegetables to pay off college loans. The man found no need to step foot in a supermarket for about a year, he told Mel Magazine, despite the fact that most Six Flags roller coaster riders end up losing their lunch.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

LONDON – You haven’t needed a phone booth in at least two decades, and your kids have no clue what they are. But London is determined to save thousands of its iconic red phone boxes, now protecting them from removal. Yes, they are an absolute relic, but UK’s telecommunications regulator argues they still have a purpose, serving as a lifeline for those desperately in need and who have spare change. The plan is to save 5,000 call boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage, focusing on depressed areas of the city with lots of auto accidents, prostitutes and suicides. A red box can be saved, under the plan, if more than 52 calls were placed from it over 12 months. There are still 21,000 phone boxes or so around England, likely serving as ideal pub décor.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was the 11th hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 signaling the end of World War I, and ultimately Veterans Day.

WORD OF THE DAY

Bevy – [BEV-ee] – noun

Definition: A large group or collection

Example: Starting at 6 a.m. on any given Saturday morning, a bevy of leaf blowers will fire up in my neighborhood.

WIT OF THE DAY

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

-John F. Kennedy

BIDEN BLURB

“Like you, I know that our nation has just one truly sacred obligation: to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them when they come home.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Changing