Scrutable

The boredom begins with 17 executive actions on Day One.

Covid:
- Start a "100 Days Masking Challenge"
- Restructure federal government coordination
- Rejoin WHO

Covid financial relief:
- Extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums
- Continue "pause" on student loan payments until September 30

Environment:
- Rejoin the Paris Climate agreement
- End Keystone XL

Reversing Trump's white supremacy:
- Review of racial equity in government
- Count non-citizens in U.S. Census again
- Strengthen workplace discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Defend "Dreamers" program
- End Muslim travel ban
- Change Trump's ICE priorities
- Stop border wall construction
- Keep protections for Liberians in the US

Ethics:
- Freezing last-minute Trump administration regulatory actions
- Formulate Executive Branch ethics doctrine

My expectation is that President Biden will turn out to be a better president than Trump. Though to be fair, Trump hasn't finished his term yet and it would be premature to judge him before he's had a chance to turn things around. I expect us to moan about Biden and make claims about how much better President Sanders would have been.

lpm wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:07 am

Though to be fair, Trump hasn't finished his term yet and it would be premature to judge him before he's had a chance to turn things around.

Well, he's still got 5 hours and 25 minutes to reveal that brilliant health care plan that he always said was two weeks away.

lpm wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:07 am

Covid:
- Start a "100 Days Masking Challenge"
- Restructure federal government coordination
- Rejoin WHO

So basically communism. Qanon were right.

I wonder when the vaccination gulags will open?

It's a bit like one of those choose-your-own-adventure books.

The US originally chose the "sleazy fascist orangutan becomes president" fork, followed that plotline for a while, but ultimately found it a bit silly. Now Biden is flicking the pages back to 2016 for them, so they can have another go.

It'll also be interesting to see which bits of Trump-era policy are kept, as they could be powerful olive branches to unite the nation. "Americans may disagree on putting kids in cages, but we can all agree that corporations needed a tax cut". Something like that.

Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 12:38 pm

"Americans may disagree on putting kids in cages."

On which note, in the final hours of the Trumop malignancy ICE have separated a nine-year-old from his family because of some minor query over an apparently valid tourist visa. Vital patriotic work there.

On a completely unrelated note, in the dying days of the Nazi regime, concentration camp guards kept the death-chambers running until they literally saw Allied troops drive over the horizon before legging it, because humans are rubbish.

Vertigowooyay wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:36 am

lpm wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:07 am

Though to be fair, Trump hasn't finished his term yet and it would be premature to judge him before he's had a chance to turn things around.

Well, he's still got 5 hours and 25 minutes to reveal that brilliant health care plan that he always said was two weeks away.

4 hours and 44 minutes now.

I mean, surely he's going to announce it. He said it was so good, so, so good. I mean, why would he not announce it?

Obviously this does not relate to the monkey I put on in Ladbrokes at 138-1 that he'd announce it by the end of his term.

Oh God, my wife's going to kill me. What have I done?

lpm wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:07 am

The boredom begins with 17 executive actions on Day One.

I really hope that he had 18 and thought one could wait, or had 16 and moved it up the list, just to get to 17 to troll the Q people.

Trump releases pot prisoners jailed for life under Biden’s 1994 crime bill

President Donald Trump on Wednesday released seven prisoners with life sentences for marijuana — including some jailed without parole under President-elect Joe Biden’s 1994 crime bill.

Paraplegic Michael Pelletier, 65, and Corvain Cooper, 41, are among the men who received prison commutations from Trump.

Pelletier had a life sentence for smuggling pot from Canada into Maine in the early 2000s. Both jurisdictions later legalized the drug.

Cooper had a life sentence for his role transporting marijuana from California to North Carolina, also under the three-strikes provision of Biden’s law.

I hope that Biden pardons everybody who has been given ridiculously long sentences, especially those banged up because of policy he wrote. More generally I hope this administration pays some attention to reforming the country's bonkers, failed, racist drugs policies. It's one of the few areas where Trump's era was actually half decent, with things like the First Step Act passing with bipartisan support.

It's completely absurd that people are in prison for a drug that's legalised where they live. Given the Georgia results, weed is going to be federally legalised, so everyone in federal or legal-state prison for possession or dealing (without aggravating factors) should be readmitted to society.

His choice of portrait is much better

It's an impressively tidy desk.

By the end of my first day as president mine would doubtless already be full of scraps of paper and half-read reports and notebooks and crisp packets and teacups and stuff.

I think Biden's approach is better. I might tidy my desk tomorrow in fact.

Another thing Biden does well:

I just watched a compilation of Biden directly quoting Donald Trump, and then just looking into the camera and raising his eyebrows like he's in The Office. It's pretty funny and I hope he continues to be sassy.

I DMed him earlier to say I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. He said he's very grateful. Followed by the emoji. #sassed

Why don't presidents have computers?

Because they don't have time to mess around on Facebook, Twitter and Scrutable all day.

Gosh. There but for the grace of God go I.

discovolante wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:18 am

Why don't presidents have computers?

They don't in the Oval Office because the role of that room is purely ceremonial.

Presidents occasionally use computers in other parts of the White House, for example if they are making the final edits on a speech. But the most precious thing in the White House is the President's time and attention. So normally every job that could be delegated is given to an aide. That means that most of the time typing on a keyboard or using a mouse are lower order tasks that someone would do for the President.

No, click on that one. There. Oh, for god's sake, why can't I steer?

I bet AOC will have a computer.

Anyway sorry, this is not appropriate for a WM thread, as you were.

Who's going to break it to Johnson that "he's just not that into you"?




I wonder when he'll get his own DVDgate?

I'm hoping it's a signed copy of Obama's "Dreams from my Father", in French.

It appears that, according to some, we can apparently add owing a Peloton exercise bike and the second cheapest make of Rolex to the points against Biden.

Allegedly the Peloton is not only a cybersecurity risk, but combined with the watch doesn't fit a "regular Joe from Scranton" look...

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:53 pm

It appears that, according to some, we can apparently add owing a Peloton exercise bike and the second cheapest make of Rolex to the points against Biden.

Allegedly the Peloton is not only a cybersecurity risk, but combined with the watch doesn't fit a "regular Joe from Scranton" look...

Isn't it the Day-Date which is traditionally known as the "president"?

https://luxurylondon.co.uk/watches-and- ... ir-watches is out of date then.

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:53 pm

It appears that, according to some, we can apparently add owing a Peloton exercise bike and the second cheapest make of Rolex to the points against Biden.

I did a mystery shop for Rolex once (no, it didn't involve a free sample). I had no idea how nice they are. I thought they were all "flash git" things covered in extra dials and crappy gold plating, but most of them are simple and elegant.

I think he should have a proper US made watch, like a Waltham. /s

He issued a presidential directive yesterday on scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking.

LEGAL WEED 2021 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 96397.html

Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:19 am

LEGAL WEED 2021 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 96397.html

It'll be a while before some states get around to it. There's places near me where you haven't been able to buy a beer since prohibition.