Wednesday, April 7, 2021

 Since we’re in the middle of a Spring week, we’ve got some foul weather coming to the Southeast. The weather folks aren’t real sure how bad it will be, but the last couple of weeks have been bad enough. Either way, pay attention to the skies and head for safety if it turns nasty.

 So, let’s look at what we’ve got here. Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan is getting up and going. Much like the COVID relief plan, Biden’s plan doesn’t screw around. It plans to put over $600 billion into transportation infrastructure. That covers bridges, roads, ports, airports, public transit, and electric vehicle development. Another $580 billion would go into American manufacturing, research and development, and job training efforts.

 What Republicans are trying to use to quash the effort is earmarked monies for stuff they don’t consider “infrastructure.” This includes $300 billion to improve drinking water, the electric grid, and expanding broadband and another $300 billion to affordable housing and school upgrades. There’s also $400 billion to improve services to care for elderly and disabled folks. This means more money for transportation to and from facilities and workers, more money for training, and just more money, in general, to take care of folks. Going to be fun to watch them argue against that.

 It should be noted that the COVID plan is still extremely popular across the political spectrum and what this infrastructure bill asks for is also pretty popular with the rabble. Indeed, the COVID package is helping Biden get the stroke he needs to maybe pull this off. For one, they met the 100 day-100 million Americans vaccinated goal and will in fact move up the deadline for opening vaccinations for everyone over 16 up to April 19.

 We’re still not out of the woods as far as that goes, though. The CDC is recommending no travel to Canada even for the vaccinated for the nonce, and just five states account for almost half the infected in the country. For the record, that’s New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan.

 Moving on to something that might be a bit more controversial with the hoi polloi. In the aftermath of all the mass shootings, Biden announced he’d let loose some executive orders to address those shootings and the ease the shooters are getting firearms. What he’ll do and how far he’ll go is determined, apparently, but no doubt it’ll meet with fierce resistance by the gun folks. Again, it is the policy here at Enon Holler World Productions that the gun control debate is long past lost and the real problem is the dingbats we let have guns, but that’s neither here nor there.

 In any event, this all comes as the announcement of a new head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms is in the pipe. The fellow in question is one David Chipman. A former ATF agent, he’s served as the head of the gun-control group founded by former representative Gabby Giffords after she was shot back in 2011.

 Let’s end with some good news. The Democratic legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia passed a bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use starting July 1. The state GOP is, of course, hopping mad and are making accusations this is just a way for Gov. Ralph Northam to repair his legacy. He pushed for changes that would make private cultivation legal, and I don’t blame him.

 This makes dear ol’ Virginia the 16th state to legalize the good smoke for recreation purposes and the first Southern state. Mississippi’s upcoming change will be for medical purposes starting this August but it has decriminalized possession. Georgia and Florida also go the medicinal route but they haven’t decriminalized. That all being said, it’ll probably be 2024 before the Old Dominion gets around to having stores and commercial growers. Still, it’s about damn time.