No More Mr. Nice Guy Murphy Turns to the Courts
Polite talk didn’t work, so now Phil Murphy is trying the courts.
The governor said today his administration will file suit over plans of Asbury Park to allow indoor dining in city restaurants starting Monday. Only outdoor dining is permitted to reopen that day, according
to state pandemic-related regulations.
After the city council voted Wednesday to allow indoor dining with capacity restrictions beginning Monday, Murphy said he hoped to settle the dispute diplomatically. As he put it Thursday, he planned to
actively engage city officials in conversation.
The governor conceded at today’s briefing that those conversations failed to settle anything. In the next breath, he said the state would file suit.
This is not the first suit to be filed, or threatened, during the three months of COVID-19 executive orders. A difference here is that the state is the plaintiff, not the defendant.
Court hearings can happen quickly when they have to, but an interesting question is what happens on the ground with Asbury Park restaurants Monday if they open for indoor dining?
Will the state police shut them down?
Murphy didn’t say.
“No comment on that. It’s subject to a legal proceeding.”
The governor explained his view that the state is not yet ready for indoor dining. He said every bit of evidence suggests the virus spreads more easily indoors than outside.
“The evidence is overwhelming,” Murphy said. “There’s a method to what we’re doing.”
The governor went on to say that indoor dining is coming soon, but that, “We have to get there at the right time and responsibly.”
This may be an interesting political and legal dispute, but there’s a practical question here as well. Opening indoor dining is one thing; having people confident enough to sit in restaurants can be another.
Another question is whether city restaurants will actually choose to have indoor dining in the face of state opposition.
With this legal battle on the horizon, the governor also found time to do some bragging, which he said New Jersey deserves to do.
As just about all COVID-19 metrics head down, he said New Jersey is now in better position regarding the virus than 45 other states. And he talked about how the virus appears to be “spiking” in states that
began reopening before New Jersey. Those states include Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Murphy said that the “foolhardiness” of those actions are now being seen.
And yep, some of those states reopened indoor dining.
When was Dictator Phil a “Mr. Nice Guy?” His method of whatever he is doing is bizarre and it seems like he misuses his unauthorized authority to retaliate. He claims his opening is based on scientific guidelines? Science fiction, maybe but not actual, PROVEN facts. He has destroyed NJ.
Mr. Dictator: if you are so worried about the budget in NJ, how about allowing businesses to open? More people die from motor vehicle accidents in a year than from ACTUAL corona deaths. All injuries and deaths from motor vehicle accidents ARE PREVENTABLE. Maybe Dictator Phil can out law motor vehicles? Then how will people get to work? Oh wait, they won’t have jobs so they won’t need to get to work.
Mr. Dictator-WE NEED JOBS AS MUCH AS WE NEED MOTOR VEHICLES.
As far as more people testing positive for corona-it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that since more people are getting tested, there will be more positives. When nobody or very few are getting tested, there won’t be many positives. Of the new positives, how many have been hospitalized? And where are the stats for the regular flu? Corona is NOT a DEADLY virus and for anyone to state that it is has no knowledge of what they are talking about. It can cause death in VERY few people-.058 %of people die from the Corona. And that number is high because many deaths were ruled caused by corona when in fact that was not correct. Therefore-if 2,000,000 people test positive, 116,00 unfortunately pass, that leaves ONE MILLION, EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHTY FOUR THOUSAND people that have recovered.
People claim that a price can’t be put on human lives. Health insurance and health care is NOT free. If people can’t afford insurance-they don’t have health care. Insulin dependent diabetics have to PAY for their insulin. Without it, they DIE. Are we not at war-killing innocent people?
Open up the state. If people are afraid of getting the FLU, stay home.
PS. I am immune compromised.
Hypocrisy anyone, first one who should be their is him for breaking his own order.
What the hell Asbury Park? The state has made great strides in fighting the disease by going slow. Now you want to go your own way.
No, we want the next step in what we have earned which is opening – especially in light of new studies about the non-contagious nature of asymptomatic people. And the curve that is BEYOND flat. Life is not a ZERO RISK situation. And politicians like him are lying to people that it can/should be by delaying opening. AND let’s throw HERD IMMUNIITY into the equation which no one talks about now that it is happening!
“The evidence is overwhelming,” yet he doesn’t provide it. “All COVID metrics head down” and combine it with the new studies showing asymptomatic people are not contagious, and it is clear his decisions aren’t being informed by science, but by politics. And the “spike in cases” he mentioned account for .005% of the population. If that equals a “spike” then we will never open. There is no zero risk in life.