The Jaffe Briefing - March 21, 2022
Happy First Day of Spring!
STATEWIDE – There’s been all this talk about how a Democratic president is finally getting some equality for New Jersey when it comes to disbursing federal funding, as New Jersey famously gets back a whole lot less than it gives Uncle Sam in taxes. Yet – get this – despite all the trillions the government spent in coronavirus stimulus funds, New Jersey still ended up at the bottom, NJ.com reports. New Jersey received just $1.36 for every $1 paid in federal taxes, dead last among the 50 states, according to a report by the New York state Comptroller. We are still ridiculously shortchanged, even though New Jersey was among the hardest hit by the pandemic in the early months and was forced to shut down. Sheesh.
NOT NJ – For those still keeping tabs on former Gov. Chris Christie, it looks like he’s already dipping his toe, again, in presidential politics. "Well, look, I'm absolutely considering the possibility," he tells WMUN-9. The good people of New Hampshire will soon be seeing the former presidential candidate at “Politics & Eggs” events next week. You may all remember – or not – that Christie was a guest at his first Politics & Eggs event in June 2015, when he ran for president while also apparently serving the people of New Jersey., Now, he’ll l be back before the New England Council at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics to share his latest poll-friendly vision for the future beyond Donald Trump. Other big-name Republicans are also expected to visit New Hampshire in the coming weeks for this "invisible primary," the very, very, very beginning of Campaign ’24. The elephant in the room will be watching.
BRIEFING BREATHER
Killer whales are actually dolphins.
OCEAN GATE – There are only about 1,600 people who live in this speck of a town in Ocean County, so it is certainly big news when the mayor’s name is splashed all over, following allegations that he auctioned off the town’s office furniture and pocketed the cash. Of course, these are just charges against GOP Mayor Paul Kennedy, but there’s certainly a need to explain why he allegedly failed to deposit money from parking meters in the borough bank account and sold borough office furniture through a private Facebook Marketplace account, attempting to keep the cash, the Asbury Park Press reports. Kennedy is also employed as a carpenter for the county and has since been suspended without pay, as authorities are likely checking to see if all the hammers and nails are still there.
OFF THE RAILS – For first-timers on a PATH train, it must be simply harrowing – jammed in with all these strangers, as the train twists and turns, jerks and stops, screeches and whines, travelling through an old tunnel under the Hudson River, back and forth, all day. Yes, it is still the cheapest way to get into Manhattan, but PATH officials admit that – yeah – things could be better. PATH riders should soon see some improvements from a $1 billion program, adding larger platforms to ease overcrowding, new rail cars for more breathing room and a new tap-and-go fare system to pay. So maybe, just maybe, a rush hour PATH train may arrive at your station with a space for you to stand or – gasp – possibly even sit. Can we dare to dream?
JERSEY CITY – Any steady reader of this newsletter knows we proudly tilt toward Rutgers basketball, but how can anyone, anywhere not be a Peacock fan at the moment? Yes, two weeks ago we were unaware St. Peter’s had a basketball team and admit that, we too, needed to Google “St. Peters” to ensure the tiny school is based in Jersey City. But now, after a big, decisive win over Murray State on Saturday, the No. 15 Peacocks are now headed to Philadelphia for the Sweet 16. And we – like many other college basketball fans – are squarely on the bandwagon, which, in Jersey City, is more like a squeaky PATH train.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
CHILTON, Ala. — An Alabama man wanted to hire a wrecker service to pull a 70-ton crane out of the woods. Now he is charged with attempting to steal the thing, after the owner of the towing service thought it all sounded fishy and figured he would call the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office to confirm things. The suspect had claimed that someone gave him the crane, and he wanted to remove it to sell it for scrap. One main reason for the suspicion: the wrecker service had already removed that crane once before, a few years ago, and knew the original owner, who denied “giving it away.” The sheriff’s response: “We have worked a lot of theft cases over the years, but this one definitely takes first place in the heavyweight category.”
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1994 that Dudley Moore was accused of hitting his girlfriend, likely after ascending a stepstool.
WORD OF THE DAY
Largesse – [lahr-ZHESS] – noun
Definition: The act of giving generously
Example: I appreciate the largesse shown by those who gave me the biggest piece of chocolate cake.
WIT OF THE DAY
“You know nothing for sure...except the fact that you know nothing for sure.”
-John F. Kennedy
BIDEN BLURB
“We meet as Democrats, Republicans, and independents, but, most importantly, as Americans with a duty to one another, to America, to the American people, and to the Constitution.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Sweet