The Jaffe Briefing - October 21, 2022

STATEWIDE – Say you have a 17-year-old son. And say this young, strapping fella happens to be driving a gray 2013 Honda Accord that had its side doors smashed in within weeks of the time he got his license.  As a weary parent, we bet you’d support a new proposal for young drivers that’s being presented to the state Legislature. Driver safety advocates are pushing state lawmakers to require young drivers to complete 50 hours of supervised driving practice before getting a license. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that such legislation could reduce collision claims by 13%, NJ.com reports, while also making our roads a lot safer. AAA says that a driver under the age of 21 is involved in a crash every 19 minutes in New Jersey. So, why not require more practice before young drivers get their licenses and use our cars for unintentional demolition derbies?

CENTRAL JERSEY – Don’t know about you, but we’re awfully tired of the pork roll vs. Taylor ham debate that crops up every time a 22-year-old reporter is hired to cover New Jersey and feels the need to write the same yawn-fest of a story. The same goes for the so-called “Central Jersey” debate, as people have been squabbling for years about where Central Jersey is and if it really exists, yada, yada. Thankfully, it seems that debate, at least, may be coming to an end, with actual legislation in the state Legislature that would decree the official existence of “Central Jersey” as a region defined by at least Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties. The bill is designed to promote an actual “Central Jersey” for tourism purposes, with the state kicking in cash to promote it. Sounds like a great idea, giving us even more time to devote to the non-issue surrounding pork roll. (Or is it Taylor ham?)

BRIEFING BREATHER

Dueling is legal is Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

STATEWIDE – What a terrific time to die. As inflation ravages the savings of many Americans, our friends at the IRS have some great news: Agents are now exempting up to $12.92 million from the estate tax for people lucky enough to die in 2023, up from $12.06 million for those unlucky souls who don’t squeak through the end of the year, a generous increase of 7.1 percent. And why? The IRS adjusts its tax rates annually to account for the Consumer Price Index. As costs go up, people get pushed into higher tax brackets, even though their standard of living hasn’t improved. That’s why the IRS is adjusting about 60 provisions.  So, eat your veggies and exercise – at least until Dec. 31.

STOCKTON – Words matter, but not to infamous turncoat Rep. Jeff Van Drew. The Trump sycophant, formerly a respected Democrat, decreed this week that Joe Biden is the worst president since the Civil War.  Mighty strong words, especially for historians who are wondering if the South Jersey congressman actually believes the talking points handed to him.  Is Biden worse than Tricky Dick Nixon, a crook who resigned in disgrace? Or Warren G. Harding, a womanizer and gambler whose cronies profited from secret oil deals? Or Herbert Hoover, the hapless sap in the White House when the stock market tanked and the country fell into the Great Depression? Or, say, Donald Trump, the only president impeached twice, who egged on a riot at the U.S. Capitol where people died?

EAST RUTHERFORD – Hell hath no fury like a Jersey football fan scorned. That’s why some Jets and Giants fans were crying foul after Gov. Phil Murphy took to Twitter on Monday to praise the Philadelphia-based Eagles and Phillies. (Spit in disgust here.) Like a concussed quarterback, Murphy seems to be having a little lapse in memory, forgetting that the Jets and Giants each play eight times a year in, get this, New Jersey. And despite calling themselves New York teams for marketing purposes, we all know those NFL teams are as Jersey as game day traffic at Interchange 16W. After some media coverage of this little Twitter kerfuffle, expect the governor to give the hometown teams a rightful shout-out this weekend, win, lose or draw.

NEWARK – Mackenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist with the famous ex-husband, should expect her pick of Girl Scout cookies this year, after donating $1.8 million to fund a STEM mobile classroom and a state-of-the-art building in Newark, TAPInto Newark reports.  It’s all designed to support the many initiatives of the Girl Scouts Heart of Jersey, which is focused on serving girls in many underserved communities. The unprecedented donation, best described as truly transformational, was part of a huge $84.5 million package of 29 donations sent out to scout councils around the country.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s been dubbed “Pan Solo.” A local bakery has won pretty much every competition out there this Halloween, recreating the scene of Han Solo frozen in carbonite in “The Empire Strikes Back.” The life-size replica – all made from dough – will be on display outside a local bakery until Halloween, or at least until the next heavy rain. Or a reprieve from the Dark Side.

AT HOME – Hey, all you health food foodies: it’s time to change your breakfast cereal.  For years, you’ve been thinking those bowls of Corn Flakes, Special K or Raisin Bran were all part of a nutritious, balanced breakfast. But think again, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally gotten around to reading the sides of cereal boxes. The feds say that cereals can now only be deemed “healthy” if they meet limits in regard to saturated fats, sugars and sodium. So say sayonara to such crowd faves as Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats and Honey Bunches of Oats. And what about Frosted Flakes?  Not so grrr-eat.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

It was this week in 2014 that McDonald’s learned the Dollar Menu is king, after seeing third-quarter sales plunge 30% in the wake of price hikes.

WORD OF THE DAY

 Frenetic – [frih-NET-ik] – adjective

 Definition: Marked by excitement, disorder, or anxiety-driven activity.

Example: Will it be another frenetic weekend of wins for the Giants and Jets?

WIT OF THE DAY

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

-Red Skeleton

BIDEN BLURB

“Every once in a while I make a mistake. Like, well, once a speech.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Leafy