The Jaffe Briefing - January 2, 2018

ON THE RAILS - Fresh off federal tax reform that slammed New Jersey, the Trump Administration has yet another gift for the Garden State: Backing off the $12.7 billion project to build the much-needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Yes, everyone knows New Jersey is a Blue state, and we must continually pay the price for that. But the fact that Trump is ignoring the Obama agreement that pledges half of the funding from the federal treasury is frighteningly short-sighted. Perhaps someone should remind Trump of all his real estate holdings here, and across the river. Greed, in this case, is good.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - Happy New Year! And that means it is already time to talk about the Congressional elections taking place in 10 months. That's because Democrats are salivating over three New Jersey Congressional seats that could flip in a Trump backlash across the state. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a Republican, is retiring, while Democrats are also targeting the seats of Rep. Leonard Lane and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen. It's all part of a national push to flip 24 seats, which would give the Democrats control of the House in mid-term elections. But before the Dems smell blood, there's the nagging issue of gerrymandering. These seats won't flip easily, as incumbency is the national pastime of the U.S. Congress.

SOUTH JERSEY - For years, the 609 area code was as quintessential South Jersey as Pork Roll. But now all those people who live from southern Middlesex County to Cape May will soon see a second area code, 640, seeping into their treasured part of the state in 2018, to handle the ongoing burst of phone numbers. If you care to ignore 640, that's fine. But any true 609-er must still be prepared to now dial 10 digits, as opposed to just seven digits, when making local calls as the new area code phases in. So, yes, South Jersey will soon be joining the rest of society, which has been forced to dial area codes for a couple of decades now.