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batboyblog · 8 hours

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Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #18

May 10-17 2024

The Justice Department endorses lifting many restrictions on marijuana. Since the 1970s marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive classification for drugs that are highly addictive, dangerous and have no medical use, like heroin. Schedule I drugs are nearly impossible to get approval for research studies greatly hampering attempts to understand marijuana and any medical benefits it may have. The DoJ recommends moving it to Schedule III, drugs with low risk of abuse like anabolic steroids, and testosterone. This will allow for greater research, likely allow medical marijuana, and make marijuana a much less serious offense. President Biden welcomed DoJ's decision, a result a review of policy he ordered. Biden in his message talked about how he's pardoned everyone convicted of marijuana possession federally. The President repeated a phrase he's said many times "No-one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,"

The Department of Interior announced no new coal mining in America's largest coal producing region. The moratorium on new coal leases has been hailed as the single biggest step so fair toward ending coal in the US. The Powder River Basin area of Wyoming and Montana produces 40% of the nations coal, the whole state of West Virginia is just 14%. The new rule is estimated to reduce emissions by the equivalent of 293 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, the same as taking 63 million gas powered cars off the road.

Vice-President Harris announced that the Biden-Harris Administration had broken records by investing $16 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Harris, a graduate of Howard University, is the first President or Vice-President to have gone to a HBCU. The Administration's investment of $900 million so far in 2024 brought the total investment of the Biden-Harris administration in HBCUs to $16 billion more than double the record $7 billion. HBCUs produce 40% of black engineers, 50% of black teachers, 70% of black doctors and dentists, and 80% of black judges. HBCUs also have a much better record of helping social mobility and moving people out of generational poverty than other colleges and universities.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $30 billion dollars in renewal funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The program supports 2.3 million families that are in need of housing with vouchers that help pay rent. This funding represents a $2 billion dollar increase over last year.

The Department of Agriculture announced $671.4 million in investments in rural infrastructure. The money will go to project to improve rural electric grids, as well as drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. The money will go to 47 projects across 23 states.

HUD announced a record breaking $1.1 billion dollar investment in Tribal housing and community development. HUD plans just over 1 billion dollars for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. This is a 40% increase in funding over 2023 and marks the largest ever funding investment in Indian housing. HUD also is investing $75 million in community development, supporting building and rehabbing community buildings in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The Department of Transportation announced $2 billion in investments in America's busiest passenger rail route, the Northeast Corridor between Washington DC and Boston. This is part of a 15 year, $176 billion plan to rebuild the corridor’s infrastructure and prepare for increased ridership and more trains. So far investments have seen a 25% increase, 7 million riders, over figures last year. a fully funded plan would almost double Amtrak service between New York City and Washington, D.C., and increase service between New York City and Boston by 50%. It would also allow a 60% increase in commuter trains.

HUD announced plans to streamline its HOME program. Currently the largest federal program to help build affordable housing, the streamlining of the rules will speed up building and help meet the Biden Administration's goal of 2 million new affordable housing units. HUD announced last week $1.3 billion dollars for the HOME program, which built 13,000 new units of housing in 2023 and helped 13,000 families with rental assistance

The Department of Interior announced $520 million in new water projects to help protect against drought in the western states. The funding will support 57 water related projects across 18 western states. The projects focus on climate resilience and drought prevention, as well as improving aging water delivery systems, and improving hydropower generation.

The Departments of Agriculture and HHS have stepped up efforts to wipe out the H1N1 virus prevent its spread to humans while protecting farmers livelihoods. The virus is currently effecting dairy cattle in the Texas panhandle region. The USDA and HSS are releasing wide ranging funds to help support farms equipping workers with Personal Protective Equipment, covering Veterinary costs, as well as compensating farmers for lost revenue. HHS and the CDC announced $101 million in testing an monitoring. This early detection and action is key to preventing another Covid style pandemic.

The Senate confirmed Sanket Bulsara to a life time federal judgeship in New York and Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler to lifetime federal judgeships in South Dakota. This brings the total number of judges appointed by President Biden to 197. For the first time in history the majority of a President's judicial nominees have not been white men.

Bonus: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that transgender health insurance exclusions were illegal. The ruling came from a case first filed in 2019 where an employer refused to cover an employee's gender affirming surgery. The court in its ruling sited new guidance from the Biden Administration's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that declared that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects trans people in the work place. These kinds of guidelines are often sited in court and carry great weight.

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #democrats #american politics #marijuana #marijuana legalization #climate change #climate action #HBCU #howard university #affordable homes #native american #Trans rights #H1N1 #judges

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lau219 · 2 days

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Enemies with Benefits

Part 4

Previous part here

…………………………………………………………………………….

“Your counts are still off,” Y/N said as she watched her newest bartender, Jessica, preparing a drink down towards the far end of the bar.

She was standing next to her behind the bar and monitoring Jessica’s pours while also quizzing her on the next ingredients for the drink. Y/N had hired her several nights prior, and this was her first shift. Y/N had intentionally chosen a night of the week when they were typically less busy, in order to let Jessica ease into it and not get too overwhelmed.

But she was clearly still anxious, and when she stopped pouring and turned to Y/N, she looked like she was about ready to cry.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m just really nervous. But I swear, I can do this.”

Y/N smiled.

“I know you can, or I wouldn’t have hired you. But where’s all the confidence you had the other night during your interview? Your counts were perfect then.”

The younger girl’s expression improved to looking a little less defeated as she heard Y/N’s compliment.

“I’m really nervous,” she said again. “I feel like I’m too slow, and like I’m going to fall behind and make people mad.”

Y/N shook her head.

“You’ll get faster the more you do it,” Y/N assured her. “And I know this is easier said than done, but don’t be nervous. Just take your time and focus on the glass in front of you. And if you get backed up, you just ask for help, ok?”

“I feel like I’m so busy worrying about what I’m going to have to make next that I can’t pay attention to my current order,” Jessica admitted.

Y/N smiled again.

“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” she said. “I used to feel the same way back when I first started bartending. I was always worried about what was coming next and if I’d know how to make it.”

“Exactly!” Jessica said.

“But I learned that it’s more important to just take it one drink at a time, no matter how busy you are,” Y/N continued. “Try not to think about what’s next and just pay attention to your current order. Otherwise, you’re going to distract yourself, your drinks won’t turn out right, and then people will be mad at you.”

Y/N paused for a moment before continuing.

“Trust me that it’s better to pay attention, focus on the moment, and get the drink right. You may not be super fast right away, but people will be ten times more frustrated with you if, after they waited, their drink is wrong and then they have to come back up here and wait even longer for a re-make.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jessica agreed.

“Also, the truth is your friend,” Y/N finished. “If someone looks like they’re getting impatient, just let them know that you’re new and still learning. People are appreciative of the honesty and then will be a little more forgiving. Plus, they’ll often leave you a bigger tip because they’re either showing you a little support, or they feel bad for you.”

Y/N gave Jessica a mischievous smile as she said the last part, and Jessica laughed.

“Ok, can I just say, you’re an awesome boss?” she said to Y/N.

Y/N grinned at her again and then nodded her head towards several customers who had just approached the bar a little further down the way.

“Why don’t you go help Matt with that group over there? Just take your time, and ask him to help you if you get stuck, alright?”

Jessica nodded, her smile looking a bit more confident.

“Ok, thanks, Y/N,” she said, and then headed down the bar.

Smiling to herself, Y/N grabbed the glasses Jessica had been practicing with off the rail and placed them in the washer rack. She then picked up a rag and wiped off the bar top, and as she turned around to toss the rag back into the sanitary bucket in the corner, she yelped in surprise as, across the bar, she was met with Tommy Shelby.

He was sitting in the exact same spot he’d been in a couple weeks ago, occupying the last chair at the end of the bar and smiling in amusement as he watched her place a hand on her chest and let out a shaky breath.

“I’m not that terrifying, am I?” Tommy said to her as she looked at him, her hand still on her chest.

“Jesus!” Y/N said as she met his eyes. “Where the hell did you come from?! How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough that I should have a drink by now,” Tommy said, still smiling. “But seeing as you were busy training a new employee, I’ll let it slide.”

Stepping closer to the counter, Y/N looked at him with an irritated glare.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“I came to talk to you.”

Y/N shook her head.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” she said to him. “I believe I’ve already made it clear, Mr. Shelby, that I’m not selling this place to you.”

“Tommy,” he countered.

She shook her head again.

“What’s it going to take for you to leave me and my club alone?” Y/N asked him, ignoring his prompting of his name.

“How can you be so certain that you don’t want what I can offer you when you haven’t even heard what it is?” Tommy replied.

“Because I know who you are, and that tells me all I need to know.”

It was Tommy’s turn to shake his head.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” he said.

Releasing an annoyed breath, Y/N looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, and when she looked down again, Tommy’s eyes were still on her.

“Come on, love. Just hear me out,” Tommy said. Then he lifted his wrist and looked at his watch, and then back at Y/N. “It’s 9:30 now. If by 10:00 o’clock, you decide you’re done with me, then I’ll leave you to it.”

For a moment, Y/N looked at him, debating what to do. But she ultimately decided that if sacrificing 30 minutes now meant she could get rid of him in the long run, then it was worth it. Finally nodding to his wrist in indication of his Rolex, she spoke.

“Does that thing have a timer on it?”

Smiling, Tommy touched his watch, turning his wrist back and forth a few times.

“For ten-grand, you’d think it would,” he said with a teasing grin.

Y/N gave a disgusted scoff and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help let loose a small smile at the joke he’d made.

“But the time doesn’t start until you pour each of us a drink,” Tommy continued.

Y/N tilted her head.

“You know our prices recently increased?” she said to him.

“How much for a whisky?” Tommy asked, playing along.

“Ten-grand,” Y/N replied.

Tommy chuckled, his smile wide as he watched her smirk at him.

“If it means I get 30 minutes of your undivided attention, then it’s worth it,” he said.

Rolling her eyes at him once more, Y/N resigned to the situation and turned around to grab two glasses off the back bar. Reaching for one of the higher end whiskies, she uncapped the bottle and poured a serving for each of them before replacing the bottle and picking up both glasses. She stepped back to Tommy and handed one to him across the bar as she lifted the other to her lips and took a sip, waiting for him to start talking.

“I want to offer you a job,” he said to her after he’d taken a swig from his own glass.

Y/N’s eyebrows raised in surprise as she tried to process what he’d said.

“What?” she asked.

“I want to offer you a job,” Tommy repeated as he looked at her.

“I already have a job,” she replied. “And I’m not giving it up.”

Tommy shook his head.

“My focus has shifted,” he said, “and I don’t want you to give this job up. What I’m offering would be on more of a consulting basis.”

Y/N took another sip from her glass, saying nothing as she waited for him to continue. As he saw that she was waiting to hear more, Tommy spoke again.

“I’ve bought every other club in the city, but none of them are as successful as this place. A few of them are even on the road to failing. You obviously know what you’re doing here and understand the ins and outs of the entire business – what works and what doesn’t. I want you to go into these places and assess them. Evaluate the staff, review protocols, find out what’s working and what’s not. Then you’ll fill me in, tell me where changes need to happen, and whether or not the management needs training. Then, if they do, I want you to train them.”

Stopping there, Tommy took a drink from his glass as he gave her a moment to digest his offer. He could see the wheels in her head turning, and she asked the exact question he was expecting.

“How am I supposed to do all that for you and still run this place?”

Tommy gently slid his glass back and forth repeatedly from one hand to the other as he looked at her.

“We’ll work around whatever schedule you need to. A few hours here and there spent at each location for an initial evaluation, and then more for addressing whatever issues and training needs we find. But this can be as slow of a process as you need it to be to still run this place as well as you do. None of these other places are doing so poorly that they’re gonna close tomorrow, so if we have to take our time, we will.”

“We?” Y/N then questioned, looking at him and cocking her eyebrow.

Tommy smiled then.

“I’m afraid so, love. I’m going into these places, too, to look at the books, review the numbers, et cetera. It’ll be a team effort.”

Setting her glass down and leaning against the bar, Y/N tilted her head again as she looked at him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued. Very intrigued, in fact, and very excited at the idea of getting her hands on these other places. That kind of work was what she’d had to do when she’d first bought this place. It had needed an entire overhaul when she’d started out, and, while difficult, she’d loved the process of whipping it into shape. But the idea of partnering with Tommy Shelby had her defenses up. Who knew what kind of tricks he had up his sleeve? Still, she couldn’t help but ask her next question.

“Team effort, huh? And what do you pay your team members?”

Tommy smiled again.

“We can iron out the details, but I was thinking around 5-grand per location. More if it takes longer than expected to turn any given place around.”

Y/N couldn’t stop her eyes from widening at what he’d said. There were 10 other clubs in the city besides hers. If none of them required more than whatever he’d deemed as “expected”, she’d still be pulling in fifty thousand dollars when all was said and done.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you speechless, love,” Tommy cut into her thoughts when she hadn’t spoken for several moments.

“You’re seriously considering paying me fifty-grand when you could easily get someone else to do this for you for much less?” Y/N said to him. “There are companies who offer exactly what you’re asking for at a fraction of that cost.”

Tommy looked at her, his eyes intense as he answered.

“I’m not considering,” he said. “I’ve already made up my mind. And I don’t want some random berk from anywhere else for this. I want the best. I want you.”

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat at his last sentence, his eyes still holding hers with an unnerving intensity. She was momentarily distracted by those eyes as she looked back at him, and when he shifted in his chair to retrieve his lighter and cigarettes from his pocket, she blinked several times as he pulled one out of the pack.

“So, what do you say, Y/N? Interested?” He placed the cigarette between his lips and bowed his head momentarily as he lit it, and then he looked back up at her.

If she was half as interested as she looked, then Tommy knew he’d have no problem getting her to stick around even once she found out what else he had in the works. And he was banking on that, because he truly did need her help to fix these other places. The fact that they’d be spending plenty of time together was just an added bonus.

Y/N continued to look at him for a moment as she thought. Was she interested in the work? Yes. Was she enticed by the hefty paycheck? Yes. Was she going to agree before ironing out whatever he meant by “details”? No way. From what little she knew about him, she did know that he was the kind of person to rely on glossing over things to get his way, and she wasn’t about to blindly agree to anything.

“Exact expectations and details need to be stated and agreed upon before I sign on for anything,” Y/N said.

Tommy nodded.

“You come to my office on Thursday and we’ll talk specifics,” he replied. He then reached into his pocket again and pulled out a business card, handing it over to her.

“And if after that discussion I decide I want nothing to do with you?” she asked him.

“Then you’ll never have to see me again,” Tommy said.

“I’ll drink to that,” she replied.

Tommy chuckled, and as Y/N lifted her drink, so did he, and they clinked glasses before they each took a sip. As Y/N then set her glass down, Tommy spoke again.

“Does this mean we’re friends now?” he asked her with a smile, and then placed his cigarette between his lips once more.

Giving him a look, Y/N held his gaze for a moment before leaning further forward across the bar top towards him. She then reached out a hand, taking the cigarette from his mouth and bringing it to her own lips, slowly taking a drag and blowing out the smoke. Tommy’s eyes were glued to her as she then reached back out and dropped the cigarette into the glass that was still perched in his hand, recreating, as promised, the exact concoction she’d placed in front of him the first time they met. Then she spoke a final time before stepping away and leaving him at the end of the bar.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Shelby.”

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