The Jaffe Briefing - February 24, 2022

STATEWIDE – With everything going on in the world, from this new Cold War to a jarring, unpredictable economy, it’s amazing that the military is gearing up to defend President Biden’s “State of the Union” address on March 1. Really, there’s no more pressing concern than to head to DC and protest the annual “made for TV” speech? Even the New Jersey National Guard will be needed, dispatching more than 100 unarmed soldiers and 20 military vehicles, the governor announced. There will be a possible “freedom” trucker convoy to jam the city streets, as well as some of those unindicted Jan. 6 protesters planning to stir things up for the ever-churning 24-hour news channels.  Remember back in the day when the President would visit the Capitol, deliver his annual speech, get some partisan cheers and then zip back to the White House for a nice, quiet dinner with the First Lady. Seems almost Rockwellian.

STATEWIDE – “Within weeks.”  That’s the latest message from Gov. Phil Murphy, predicting that legal weed will finally begin getting sold in New Jersey at some point next month. Cannabis industry followers, as well as local potheads, have been quick to note the governor missed his self-imposed Tuesday deadline to allow medical weed dispensaries to sell recreationally to people of drinking age. “If I had to predict, we are within weeks — I would hope in March — you would see implicit movement on the medical dispensaries, some of them being able to sell recreational,” Murphy told WBGO. “They’ve got to prove they’ve got the supply for their medical customers.” As cannabis sellers have been yelling from the rooftops that they have bursting supplies, that should no longer be a prevailing issue for delay.

STATEWIDE – Landlords are finding they can charge whatever they darn well want, as it seems that there’s someone out there willing to sign a lease. Rents are skyrocketing – especially in the cities where many are financially struggling – as median rents have risen 20% between December 2020 and December of last year. It’s all prompting people to live in much smaller homes than they need or to fall farther and farther behind on other bills. Landlords explain it away by pointing to inflation, high demand, high property taxes, high maintainence costs and perhaps the fact that they just want more money. Thank our lucky stars that we don’t live in Miami, where rents have exploded 50% in one year, or places like San Francisco and Boston that have a crazy rental market. It all prompted one frustrated Bostonian to tweet a photo of an igloo, renting for $2,700, with “heat/hot water not included.”

BRIEFING BREATHER

A Middlesex County mom gave birth at 2:22 p.m. on 2/22/22 at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, TAPInto Raritan Bay reports.

TRENTON – Ahh, another sign of normalcy. Gov. Phil Murphy is planning his final daily COVID briefing next Friday, marking two years since the “official” beginning of the pandemic in New Jersey.  There’s some rosy news: case numbers falling, hospital admissions dropping and vaccination rates among the highest in the nation.  (Yet there is this new “stealth” omicron variant — BA.2 — which has moved quickly through other countries, but let’s ignore that …) New Jersey will certainly miss the daily dosing of Health Commissioner Judy Persichelli, likely the first person to ever hold that job who gained statewide name recognition. It all means that Murphy can no longer focus on these briefings and put attention elsewhere, as the state’s fiscal ’23 budget is to soon be announced, and then debated, and then dissected and then maligned and then, ultimately, adopted June 30.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — An eight-year-old boy wanted a treehouse. And that is a problem. His parents made grand plans, checked with neighbors and everyone seemed to be ok. But no one imagined how overboard Little Johnny’s parents would go, erecting an immense structure about the size of a NYC studio apartment. The 168-square-foot treehouse is 25 feet long and 8 feet high, WGME reports, dominating the backyard landscape of neighbors. Mom and dad are a bit embarrassed, saying they only wanted to make Little Johnny happy. Now the Portsmouth Board of Adjustment is involved, saying the hulking treehouse needs to be moved way back from the fence. That means the treehouse has to somehow be dismantled and rebuilt, prompting many questions from Little Johnny, like: “Mommy, what is a Portsmouth Board of Adjustment?” and “Daddy, why do they hate me?”

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 2008 that we finally say goodbye to Fidel Castro, who resigns as dictator of Cuba, handing off the lifetime job to his brother who is “unanimously elected.”

WORD OF THE DAY

Megillah – [muh-GHIL-uh] – noun

Definition:  An elaborate, complicated story or sequences of event

Example: Are you planning to tell me the entire megillah or get to the point?

WIT OF THE DAY

“Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.”

-Will Rogers

BIDEN BLURB

“You get a tax break for a racehorse, why in God's name couldn't we provide an $8,000 tax credit for everybody who has childcare costs?”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Freezing