The Jaffe Briefing - December 1, 2021

TOMS RIVER – In politics, is there really anything “permanent”? Of course not. But that has not stopped the township council from “permanently” banning recreational marijuana businesses. Some residents expressed disappointment with the so-called “permanent” ban, the Asbury Park Press reports, noting a 2020 referendum showed that 63.7% of township voters supported legalizing recreational marijuana. Moreover, the township's own cannabis committee recommended that Toms River allow for the cultivation and manufacturing of recreational weed. “You’re not listening to the committee,” one committee member complained to the council. ‘What was the point of the committee?’”  Good question: expect a future governing body full of pro-weeders to revisit the “permanent” policy.

TRENTON – It’s good to have surplus. Especially when the federal education department orders the state to cough up $172.6 million to poor school districts, or risk losing $2.5 billion in federal emergency relief aid. Politico reports the feds were not pleased with this year’s state aid cuts that violated a “maintainence of equity” in the American Rescue Plan. Funding needs to be restored to 81 “high need” or “high poverty” districts or all that federal moolah goes bye-bye. Assume that someone, somewhere in the Sector G bowels of the state treasury will soon be writing some pretty big checks.

BRIEFING BREATHER

The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself in 1971.

ASBURY PARK – Convention Hall is typically home now to a fresh-cut Christmas tree. But, in what is consistent with the rest of the world at the moment, the tree didn’t show up. In its place appears to be a bunch of Amazon boxes piled together, in what the AP says has been called “artwork” described as ridiculous, ugly and hideous. No lights, no garland. Rather than an actual tree, there’s cardboard in the shape of some sort of tree. So, for art lovers, this is art, courtesy of a local artist who goes by the name “Porkchop.” And it’s fully recyclable, like all your other Amazon boxes. But does this art really replace a traditional tree for a family seeking the perfect holiday pic? We’ll leave that to the eyes of the beholder.

IN THE MEDIA

ATLANTIC CITY – Not again. Another bloodsucking hedge fund is targeting New Jersey to gobble up a newspaper on the cheap, gut it and likely sell it for parts. This time, it is the Press of Atlantic City that is fighting for its life. The New Jersey Globe reports that Lee Enterprises, the newspaper chain that owns the last decent daily newspaper in South Jersey is now fighting a hostile takeover from a hedge fund that brings draconian cuts and layoffs, squeezing profits as its sole purpose for existing. Alden Global Capital, which made a similar bid to purchase Gannett in 2019, is now going after Lee, offering $24 a share. Unclear what the offer means, but let’s assume it is an outrageous, bargain-basement price. Unions representing a dozen newsrooms at Lee oppose the deal, of course. One, the Omaha World-Herald Guild, called Alden “the assassin of local news.” Yeah, hedge funds need to make rosy profits. But they fail to recognize the community benefit of quality journalism as they analyze and re-analyze the benefits of offering a watercooler in the newsroom.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

BERLIN – You hear about thieves breaking through walls to steal fine jewels or cash. But Lego sets? Yep, that’s what happened in the western town of Lippstadt over the weekend, when burglars broke through the wall of a toy store, leaving 100 empty cardboard boxes behind, perhaps to be used for an Asbury Park Christmas tree. 

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

A great day for short people on this day in 1984, when Boston College QB Doug Flutie wins the Heisman Award.

WORD OF THE DAY

Hoity-toity – [hoy-tee-TOY-tee] – adjective

Definition: Pretentious, fancy or pompous

Example: Do we really need to go to some hoity-toity college to get a decent job?

WIT OF THE DAY

“All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner.”

-Red Skeleton

BIDEN BLURB

“If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, we stand up there and we make really tough decisions, there’s still a 30 percent chance we’re going to get it wrong.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

40s