The Jaffe Briefing - May 13, 2022
STATEWIDE – Gas won’t be cheap, but it will be a few cents cheaper today, as part of a clever PR stunt to show that we could all save money by pumping our own damn gas. It’s all coming from the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, and Automotive Association, which is listing a bunch of gas stations from Bergen to Ocean counties that will offer a price drop of about 15 cents per gallon, according to its high-end spokesman. Motorists will also be handed a fake $100 bill to underscore that they could save between $100-$400 per year if the state just allowed self-serve, dammit. Of course, the big objective here is for ticked-off motorists to reach out to state lawmakers and demand a stalled bill be reconsidered. They may also ponder: If gas stations can drop prices by 15 cents a gallon on one day, how about every day?
STATEWIDE – But maybe there are some other solutions, too. Look no further than Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), who is calling for state legislation that would provide $400-$800 rebates to New Jersey drivers and free train rides for NJ Transit commuters for three months, New Jersey Monitor reports. And there are other ideas also banging around the Statehouse, such as a GOP-led tax credit plan, temporarily cutting the state gas tax or perhaps seeing if any service stations would be willing to accept those fake $100 bills from the gas association. Of course, all these efforts are laudable, but it remains unclear how any of it can replace the fact that we are losing millions of barrels of Russian oil because of sanctions, as part of this global supply/demand crisis.
NORTH BRUNSWICK – It’s a perfectly-sensible bill, a proposed federal law that would protect the personal privacy of judges. Sen. Bob Menendez is driving the bill, after the 20-year-old son of a federal judge was tragically gunned down in July 2020 by someone trying to kill the judge at her North Brunswick home. “We have an opportunity to take a moment of tragedy and turn it into something powerful,” Menendez said on the Senate floor, NJ.com reports. But that bill is going nowhere, courtesy of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who objected to the “Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act,” demanding the same protection for all members of Congress.
BRIEFING BREATHER
One single teaspoon of honey represents the life work of 12 bees.
STATEWIDE – We all have lingering memories of Sept. 1, when Hurricane Ida dumped a ton of water on New Jersey, causing mass flooding, stranded cars, power outages and a loss of life. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) wants more money spent by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to figure out better ways to estimate rainfall, especially during these uncertain times of unabated climate change. The idea is to give flood plain managers, dam safety officials, civil engineers, local elected officials, first responders and others more accurate information so they can alert the masses, NJ.com reports. Sherrill’s bill zipped through the House, 333-81, with all the “no” votes coming from Republicans.
FROM THE MAILBAG
The Jaffe Briefing wrote yesterday about the ongoing lawsuit calling for the sweeping desegregation of New Jersey schools. Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-Sussex), who was referenced, reached out to say we botched his position. Wirths writes:
“I do believe we are talking about two different things.
Students stuck in bad school districts do deserve better opportunities without affecting those students whose parents are happy with their children’s schools.
We should utilize many different options to help all students, but especially those in bad school districts. We have a very popular inter-district public school choice program that needs better funding and more available placements. We have technical schools which have become hugely popular and I have supported the expansion of them. Everyone says they support charter schools and everyone mentions how moving it is watching the emotions of parents and their children who win spots in charter schools and magnet-type schools, but unfortunately Governor Murphy is stopping the growth of charter schools in New Jersey.
We should be increasing these opportunities and the Murphy administration is halting that progress. And this is not even mentioning the huge amount of money New Jersey taxpayers have spent in subsidizing urban public schools and unfortunately these problems of bad educational outcomes are not going away.
So let’s create opportunities `to go somewhere else,’ as you put it, while not upending those students whose parents are content with their children’s education.”
Hal
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
KEY WEST, FL. – Uh, congratulations? A 19-year-old South Florida woman, who decided to flee cops in a high-speed chase, told the arresting officer that getting arrested was always on her “bucket list.” Huh? The teen was charged with fleeing and eluding, Monroe County Sheriff’s officials say, after a deputy saw her driving recklessly just before 8 a.m. Thursday. Before she was hauled off in cuffs, the woman told officers this has been a big dream of hers since she was in high school. Would love to see what else is on that bucket list.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2013 that a construction company in Belize, seeking road fill gravel, pulls it from a 2,300-year-old Mayan pyramid.
WORD OF THE DAY
Somnolence – [säm-nə-lən(t)s] – noun
Definition: The quality or state of being drowsy
Example: I was overpowered with somnolence while trying to figure out the plot for “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
WIT OF THE DAY
“I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
-Ronald Reagan
BIDEN BLURB
“Ronald Reagan said, `Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down.’ Today's Republicans say, `Tear down Mickey Mouse's house.’ And pretty soon, they'll be storming Cinderella's castle, you can be sure of it.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Puddles
AND A WORD FROM A SPONSOR
Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) is recruiting the best and brightest to work as staff at three separate Girl Scout camps, Camp Lou Henry Hoover in Middleville (resident camp), The OVAL in Maplewood (day camp), and Camp Agnes DeWitt in Hillsborough (day camp). The majority of those positions will be filled by high school and college students acting as junior counselors (ages 15-17), counselors (ages 18+), unit leaders, and lifeguards. Other positions, such as Assistant Camp Directors, Health Supervisors/Wellness Coordinator (nurses) and Program Specialists and Trading Post Manager, require adults. Often, these are ideal positions for educators looking for summer work. If you are more of a “behind-the-scenes” individual, then you may be the right fit to become an Assistant Camp Ranger, Driver with CDL License, Media Coordinator or work in the kitchen.
Review job descriptions, age requirements, and apply at www.gshnj.org/jobs.