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Randy Newman wasn't writing about New Jersey in his brilliant song "Political Science,'' but he may well have. New Jersey is the nation's most mocked, maligned and misunderstood state. It's also the most interesting state. Don't laugh. Not best or prettiest or most livable, just most damn interesting.

What other state packs more scenic wonder and cultural/ethnic diversity in such a tiny, tidy package? From swamps to the Shore, refineries to wildlife refuges, we have it all. But you can't see Jersey in just a week or two.

This is a list of 20 spots you need to visit in 2020. It's a mix of old favorites and under-the-radar spots, weekend getaway destinations and quick afternoon jaunts.

I did similar lists in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but this one is all-new.You won't find many of these places/events on tourism websites. Some of them are downright quirky. You didn't expect us to regurgitate the same tired, old places everyone already knows about, did you?

What places are on your 2020 N.J. bucket list?

Roll out a barrel or two at the Deutscher Club beer garden, Clark

The Deutscher Club, established in 1935, is the state's largest German club. About 10 events every year are open to the public, including the Biergarten (June 7, July 12, July 26, Aug. 23). And there are two Oktoberfests open to the public Sept. 7 and Oct. 5.

Step back into the past at Victorian Days, Belvidere

Ladies and gents in Victorian garb (the hats alone are worth the trip), horse-drawn carriages, walking tours of town, an antique and classic car show, vendors, food and a parade Victorian Days is one of the state's 10 most colorful and entertaining fests. It's held in September. Check the website in the coming months for the dates.

Saed Hindash I The Star-Ledger

Visit the Greenwich tea-burning monument and the rest of Cumberland County

The Boston Tea Party was the most famous, but not the only tea-burning ceremony in protest of British rule in the 1770s. There were others in Annapolis, Princeton, Charleston and Greenwich. On Thursday, Dec. 22, 1774, a group of villagers burned a stolen shipment of tea in the town square. In 1908, a monument (photo) was built on Ye Greate Street in Greenwich. The town's annual charity 5k run is called the Tea Burner Race; the logo is a flaming crate. Quaint historic Greenwich is a good jumping-off point for an exploration of Cumberland County, New Jersey's least-known county at least to the rest of the state.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Meander along Washington Crossing State Park

I grew up minutes from the southern end of Washington Crossing State Park, and years (OK, decades) later, it remains one of the state's underappreciated parks. Start at that south end, with its leafy, lovely views along the Delaware, and then head north. You can pull over at several points and cross footbridges to the D&R Canal Towpath. You can even explore an island Bulls Island Recreation Area, just north of Stockton. Two other charming small towns are along the way Lambertville and Frenchtown. In all three towns, you can walk across the bridge into Pennsylvania.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Visit an old-school Jersey diner

New Jersey is the diner capital of the world, with about 600 in every nook and cranny of the state. But there's nothing like an old-school diner, one of those stainless steel-shiny, time-warp wonders from the '40s and '50s. A heaping side order of history and nostalgia comes free with every order. Here's my list of the state's 30 greatest old-school diners, ranked. The photo is from Angelo's Glassboro Diner, Glassboro.

Take a choo-choo ride at the New Jersey Museum of Transportation, Allaire State Park

Did you know there is a New Jersey Museum of Transportation? I sure didn't until last year. It's supported exclusively by train fares, souvenir sales and private contributions, is not funded by the state and is staffed by volunteers. It operates the Pine Creek Railroad, one of the oldest operating narrow gauge rail lines in the country. You can ride the train seven days a week from July 1 to Sept. 2, and on weekends in the fall. The fare for the 15-minute ride is $4 for anyone 3 and older.

Order the roast beef and mozzarella sandwich at Fiore's Deli, Hoboken

If I had to bring one N.J. sandwich to my desert island, it just might be the roast beef and mozzarella sandwich at Fiore's Deli in Hoboken. Fiore's, with its red-stencilled window and brick storefront, looks like some old-school deli movie set tin ceiling, fluorescent lighting and a display case filled with olives, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and other specialties. There's no website or official Facebook page and no printed sandwich menu no surprise there. The roast beef and mozzarella sandwich is available Thursdays and Saturdays only.

Finally visit Batsto Village

Batsto Village, like the Great Falls in Paterson, is one of those N.J. treasures that everyone knows about, but too few visit. The site consists of 33 historic buildings and structures, including the Batsto Mansion, gristmill, sawmill, general store, workers' homes and post office. You can take a free guided tour by smart phone, and guided mansion tours are conducted Wednesday through Sunday. The annual Country Living Fair, held in October, is a good day to visit. Batsto is located on Route 542, one of the state's 20 most scenic roads.

John Munson I The Star-Ledger

Take a white-knuckle ride on the Pulaski Skyway

Don't laugh. First of all, the Skyway (no real Jerseyan calls it the Pulaski Skyway) is the state's greatest, grittiest sight: three and a half miles of pure chaos or charm, depending on how you look at it. It snakes and slithers across a shadowy world of warehouses (including one filled with 5 million bottles of booze), bustling container ship depots, belching smokestacks, truck stops, train tracks, power lines, bars, one jail and one sewage treatment plant. It's N.J.'s greatest cheap thrill ride and must be experienced at least once in every Jerseyan's lifetime.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Spend an afternoon at the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival, Chatsworth

New Jersey is one of the nation's leading cranberry-producing states, and no event pays homage to the scarlet harvest quite like the annual Chatsworth Cranberry Festival. Chatsworth, part of Woodland Township, is considered the unofficial capital of the Pine Barrens. Blink once, and you're in and out of it. Admission to the festival held the third full weekend of October is free, and there are food and craft vendors, music and more.

Smithville

Call Smithville the anti-mall, a great side trip from AC, and just a cool place to shop and hang out. It started as a one- room stage coach stop and is now a cute/quaint/folksy town with 60 shops in an attractive park-like setting. The Historic Smithville Inn the original one was built in 1787 is here, plus three other restaurants, and you can even spend the night in town, at the Colonial Inn Bed and Breakfast. My favorite places at Smithville include the Smithville Bakery, Country Folk, and Underground, the latter for all your punk rock merchandise needs.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Go on a boardwalk food tour

Boardwalk food gets no respect, and maybe it shouldn't. Underwhelming and overpriced, boardwalk food caters to takes advantage of? a captive audience.

But there is good, even great, boardwalk food out there, if you know where to look. I've spent the past two summers roaming up and down the boards to find the best boardwalk food, visiting 108 restaurants/stands and sampling almost 200 items for the ultimate N.J. boardwalk eats list. Stop stuffing yourself with that awful pizza, icky lemonade and limp fries. Check out my list and schedule your own boardwalk food tour.

Spend a day in Atlantic Highlands

Atlantic Highlands is one of those Shore towns that gets overlooked in everyone's pell-mell rush to the beach. Bayfront setting, vibrant restaurant and cafe scene, one of the state's best breweries (Carton), ferry to New York City: what more could you want? Atlantic Highlands, not to be confused with next-door-neighbor Highlands, is an architectural treasure house, with Victorian, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes. Take a guided walk starting at the Strauss Mansion through the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society. Must-stops: the Flaky Tart dessert/pastry shop and Nicholas Creamery, for terrific small-batch ice cream. For stupendous views: Mount Mitchill, the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic Seaboard.

Hike to Buttermilk Falls

Buttermilk Falls may not have quite the grandeur of the Great Falls in Paterson, but getting there is half the fun. The Buttermilk Falls trail winds 1.4 miles from the trailhead in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to the top of the falls. From there, the trail continues to make a steep climb to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail for spectacular views of the valley below. If there were a list of the state's eight great under-publicized wonders, Buttermilk Falls would be on it.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Order the country's best Cuban sandwich at La Pola, West New York

West New York boasts a United Nations of food choices Cuban, Colombian, Argentinian, Mexican, Italian and more in one compact package. Dulce de Leche Bakery is one of the state's 10 best bakeries. The late Food Network personality Carl Ruiz called the Cuban sandwich at La Pola the best he's had anywhere. It's a perfect combination of bread, ham, pork, cheese and mojo or marinade. You can imagine the reaction in South Florida when my story about Ruiz's claim appeared; the mayor of St. Petersburg and the official Twitter account of Tampa joined the angry protest.

Find hidden treasure or not-so-priceless junk at a flea market

Junk? Yard-sale castoffs? Tell that to the thousands of people who pack Englishtown Auction, Collingwood Auction and Flea Market and the Columbus Farmers Market New Jersey's three major flea markets on a typical weekend. It's bargain hunting on a grand, cluttered scale, both indoors and outdoors. Flea markets, by the way, have nothing to do with fleas. The term has been an American expression dating back to Dutch colonial days, when there was a Vallie Market in Manhattan. Vallie Market was eventually shortened to Vlie Market and pronounced as "flea market." There's some good eating in the markets. The Chicken Coop at Columbus Farmers Market made my list of the state's best fried chicken spots, and Kate & Al's Pizza and Pete's Pizza, also at Columbus, are highly recommended.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Chow down on an Italian hot dog at Dickie Dee's, Newark

Dickie Dee's is a hotdog hole-in-the-wall and essential Jersey food experience. It opened in 1958 between Parker and Ridge streets, opening in its current spot, a short stroll from Calandra's, in 1967. Make sure that cell phone is off when it comes time to order and be prepared for the good-natured gruffness of the guys behind the counter. An Italian hot dog is the only hot dog you can get at Dickie Dee's. No chili dogs. No dogs with mustard and sauerkraut. No grilled dogs. Just deep-fried Italian hot dogs, with a fistful of potatoes and onions.

Rent a canoe or kayak at Cranford Canoe Club

Here are two words to put on your N.J. bucket list: Rahway River. Yep. Rent a canoe or kayak at the Cranford Canoe Club and paddle or row your way down that river. Two-hour canoe or single kayak rentals are $25. "Two hours of peaceful water and pretty sights," one happy customer posted on Facebook. "A great quick escape from stress, in a beautiful setting. It's a treasure.'' Reward yourself with ice cream and hot dogs at the concession stand upon your return.

Spend a day in Mullica Hill

Mullica Hill, just off Exit 2 of the New Jersey Turnpike, is one of those oh-so-cute towns New Jersey seems to have the franchise on. Antiques and specialty shops line the main drag, and there are another 15 or so in the Antique Co-Op. Napes at The Warehouse for pizza, and good, albeit pricey, barbecue at 322 BBQ. An upcoming must-event: The 3rd annual Chocolate Walk, on Feb. 8. And one of my favorite specialty markets in the entire state is minutes away, the Amish Market at Mullica Hill. Stop at Beiler's Bakery for breads, donuts and sticky buns, and Chicken Shack (formerly Yoder's) for juicy, delicious rotisserie chicken.

Visit Cloverdale Farm County Park, Barnegat

You can never get enough cranberries. They're one of the highlights at Cloverdale Farm County Park, 90 acres of Pine Barrens wetlands, uplands and cranberry bogs. There's a self-guided nature trailand a cedar-shingled visitors center. The park is open from dawn to dusk every day. County parks are one of the 50 best reasons to live in New Jersey.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

What's on your travel list?

So what did we leave out? What never-visited places are you determined to hit in 2020? Let us know in the comments section.

Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The 20 places in New Jersey you need to visit in 2020 - NJ.com

At the end of 2009, the total federal debt was $12.3trilliona staggering amount of money.

Now, it stands at an astonishing $23.1trillion. Thats roughly $180,500 of debt for every U.S. household.

It is important for Americans to understand how we got here,and what lawmakers can do to bring back fiscal sanity.

Poor Handling of the FinancialCrisis

The federal government entered the 2010s with sky-highannual deficits. This had two primary causes.

First, the Great Recession reduced incomes and profits,which meant a sharp decrease in tax revenue. A slow economic recovery kept tax revenuerelatively low for several years.

Second, legislators used the recession as an excuse to massively increase the amount of federal spending. The 2009 stimulus package in particular led to record-setting spending levels.

President Barack Obama largely sold this additional spendingas a way to jump-start the economy. But the structure of the stimulus packagetold another story. The politically motivated design of the package meant thatit was ineffectiveat growing the economy.

What it did do effectively was grow the national debt. Lowtax revenue and high spending combined to generate federal deficits of over $1trillion per year starting in 2009.

Between the big-government stimulus and bank bailouts, millions of Americans were fed up with how both parties responded to the financial crisis. The tea party movement was born out of this backlash, and the 2010 election put dozens of believers in limited government in the House and the Senate.

Deficit ReductionEfforts Fell Short

Two events in 2011 showed both the promise and the limits of the tea partys political muscle. On the positive side, the practice of earmarking spending for narrow political purposes came to an end.

The publics concern over deficits led to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which raised the debt limit in exchange for rules meant to reduce the deficit in future years. The law had serious flaws, and tea party members roundly opposed it.

Although the law did serve to restrain spending for a fewyears, its flaws ultimately proved fatal.

First, the Budget Control Act created an ill-fated Committee on Deficit Reduction, which failed in producing follow-up legislation to reduce future deficits. This failure resulted in spending reductions through the annual discretionary spending process, known as sequestration.

Here, the Budget Control Acts primary flaw came to bear: It didnt create a single spending limit to cover everything, but instead created separate defense and nondefense categories, both of which were cut. This meant that sequestration did not distinguish between the vital work of national defense and the secondary activities, such as politically-driven business subsidies.

Defense-focused members of Congress constantly chafed at thespending limits. This gave leverage to members who desired ever-more domesticspending. As a result, Congress passed a series of bills to increase spendinglimits for both categories.

At first, these increases were somewhat modest and partiallypaid for to avoid growing the deficit. However, they established a precedent thatwould have devastating fiscal consequences.

The 2018 and 2019 spending deals were massive and undid much of the Budget Control Acts deficit reduction. Rather than doing the hard work of prioritizing what areas to spend taxpayer dollars on, the McConnell-Schumer and Mnuchin-Pelosi deals threw away any pretense of federal self-control.

At the same time, Congress has also allowedmandatory programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaidto balloon. Each of these programs is growing at an unsustainablerate, and combined they threaten to crowdout core priorities such as national defense.

This brings us to a terrifying prospect: The deficit for 2020 is expected to exceed $1 trillion once more. Worse, the deficit is projected to stay above $1 trillion for the rest of the coming decade.

What makes this situation especiallyunconscionable is the strength of the economy. A time of low unemploymentand no major wars is usually an occasion for low deficits and even balancedbudgets. Instead, Washington is abandoning its responsibilities.

But its not too late for that to change.

A Path to SeriousReform

The Heritage Foundations Blueprint for Balance provides a comprehensive guide for responsible policymakers to bring the federal debt under control.

This includes making pro-growth tax reform permanent and expanding on good tax policy; strengthening budget rules to impose fiscal discipline and legislative accountability; reforming Social Security and federal health care programs to target benefits toward the most vulnerable while reducing costs; and eliminating wasteful and inappropriate spending on federal agencies and programs that fail to deliver on national priorities.

Taking this path would preserve individual liberty,strengthen the economy, and enable civil society to flourish. It would also restorefairness for younger and future generations that would bear the burdenof the $23.1 trillion (and growing) national debt.

The 2010s were a decade of debt. The 2020s must be thedecade of balance.

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How the 2010s Became the Decade of Debt - Daily Signal

Tomorrow will see the Duchess of Cambridge turn 38, but the royal has already begun celebrating the occasion. This weekend, the Duke and Duchess welcomed friends to their Norfolk country home, Anmer Hall, for a pre-birthday gathering.

According to US news outlet People, guests are thought to have included Thomas van Straubenzee and his fiance Lucy Lanigan-OKeeffe, Lady Laura and James Meade, the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and Kates parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

The Duchess of Cambridge

Getty Images

The friends are a tight-knit group; Thomas van Straubenzee, one of Prince Williams closest friends, is godfather to Princess Charlotte. His fiance Lucy is also a teacher at Thomass Battersea, where William and Kates two eldest children are students. Lady Laura Meade is the godmother of Prince Louis and is married to another member of Williams inner circle, James Meade. David, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley and his wife, Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, meanwhile, have been friends of the royal couple for over a decade. Although last year saw speculation of a falling out between Rose and Kate, there was no sign of animosity among the friends when they joined the Queen at church in Sandringham on Sunday.

The Marchioness of Cholmondeley

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Indeed the Norfolk January weekend seems to have become something of a tradition for the Duke and Duchess, encompassing activities that are thought to include shooting and a dinner with the Queen at Sandringham House.

They royal couple also hosted friends this time last year, before attending the St Mary Magdalene Church Sunday service the next morning. This year saw William, Kate and their friends smartly dressed for the occasion, looking no less worse the wear for the weekends festivities.

Lucy Lanigan-OKeeffe and Thomas van Straubenzee

Getty Images

Seemingly not a fan of lavish celebrations, Vanity Fair reported last year that the Duchess would mark the actual day of her 37th birthday with a small tea party at Kensington Palace, attended by her husband and children. Now back in London in time for the new school term, it is expected that Kate will again celebrate the day itself with an intimate gathering.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Getty Images

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WASHINGTON A few days after he ordered the airstrike that killed Irans top military official Gen. Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump did what he normally does in times of big domestic or international news: tweet through it.

On Sunday, Trump declared that a 263-character tweet would serve as his official notification for future military action against Iran.

These Media Posts will serve as notification to Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly and fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless! he tweeted to his 70 million followers.

After reading the post on Tuesday, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma said the tweet was sufficient notification to Congress. Yeah. I think so. Yep. Its pretty specific. Tweets arent like they used to be. This is a president of tweets and theyre all taken pretty seriously, he told BuzzFeed News.

Its unprecedented for a president to notify Congress and the American public of pending war strategies via social media. That same day Trump tweeted the U.S. was targeting 52 Iranian sites some of them cultural sites which would violate international law. He later walked the comment back saying hed like to obey the law. Republicans say the presidents messaging strategy is just a way to keep his millions of followers tuned in to national politics.

Sen. Kevin Cramer told BuzzFeed News the presidents tweet messaging was fine but added that there are more official ways of notifying Congress.

I always say about Donald Trump and his tweets and his communications style take him seriously, not literally. As he always says, if he didnt do this most of the national audience wouldnt know what hes saying, Cramer told BuzzFeed News.

"Oh, I dont mind, I guess. To me its the new normal, Cramer said when asked if hed like to see future presidents communicate the same way.

Sens. John Barrasso and Tim Scott said that hadnt seen the presidents tweet. When BuzzFeed News offered to show the tweet to Scott, he declined. Thats OK, he said before heading into an office.

Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama called the tweet tongue and cheek.

Democrats disagreed with their Republican colleagues and some of them replied to Sundays tweet expressing their opposition.

Presidential notification of Congress about the need to exercise war powers cannot be satisfied in 280 characters or less, Joe Biden said during a fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday.

He should notify Congress with normal processes, Rep. Carolyn Maloney told BuzzFeed News, adding that the president should deescalate the tensions in the area.

On Tuesday night, after Iran had launched several missiles at US military bases in Iraq, Trump tweeted that all is well and made a statement the following morning that no US or Iraqi lives were lost. When Iran launched the strike, one of the countrys government officials let the world know who was responsible...with a tweet.

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Republicans In Congress Are Just Fine With Trump Tweeting His Way Through Conflict With Iran - BuzzFeed News

If anyone fails that test, they are unpatriotic at best, and potential traitors at worst.

| 6:00 AM

In the wake of the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Donald Trump and his enablers have said a lot of ignorant things. But during an appearance on Sean Hannitys show, Nikki Haley installed herself at the top of the list.

It is both preposterous and offensive to suggest that Democrats are mourning the loss of Soleimani. The issue that has been raised is that his assassination has made Americans less safe, especially those serving in the Middle East. Given that one of the primary responsibilities of our federal government is to ensure the security of Americans both at home and abroad, those are important concerns to voice.

Meghan McCain pulled something similar when she questioned the words that Elizabeth Warren used to describe Soleimani.

First of all, Soleimani is both a member of a group that has been classified as a terrorist organization and a senior foreign military official. For McCain, he must be one or the other, because referring to him simply as a military official isnt sufficiently demonizing. Unless Warren uses the right words to describe him, she failed the patriotism test.

This is reminiscent of the time that Trump accused Democrats of supporting the MS-13 gang because theyobjected to his use of the word animals to describe undocumented immigrants. It is also similar to those days when Republicans suggested that, unless Obama used the words radical Islam to describe ISIS, he wouldnt be able to defeat them. Finally, the same issue came up during a debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama on the topic of Benghazi.

Obama pulled a zinger and proved Romney wrong: he had used the word terrorism to describe the attack in Benghazi. But what if he hadnt? Did the use of the word terrorism change the fact that four Americans died during the attack? Did it change how the administration responded? The answer to those questions is clearly, no.

The truth is that, for too many Republicans, the only issue that matters is the vilification of enemies, which is demonstrated by the words we use to describe them. If anyone fails that test, they are unpatriotic at best, and potential traitors at worst.

What is eliminated from that kind of conversation is anything related to context or strategy. It posits a black-and-white world where using the most incendiary words to describe an enemy indicates that you have taken the side of good against evil. Under those circumstances,Trump doesnt need to think through the ramifications of assassinating Suleimani. All he needs is some chest-thumping about how hes taken out a really bad guy and damn the consequences. Somehow that kind of recklessness is never deemed unpatriotic, even as it puts American lives at risk.

If you enjoyed this article, consider making a donation to help us produce more like it. The Washington Monthly was founded in 1969 to tell the stories of how government really worksand how to make it work better. Fifty years later, the need for incisive analysis and new, progressive policy ideas is clearer than ever. As a nonprofit, we rely on support from readers like you.

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For Republicans, Vilification of Enemies Is All That Matters - Washington Monthly