JOE BIDEN

[filly]

One political scientist's opinion:

[zekeb]

He needs to get out of the Covid business. It's a big reason why what'shisname went down. Leave it in the hands of the CDC and let the mask and vaccination mandates come from another source.

[raison de arizona]

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[Dr. Ken]

THANKS BRANDON!!!!

[RTH10260]

BUT... But... but.... some former guy, toxic agent orange, claimed to have the most bestest numbers for evahhh

[bob]

Yahoo!: Giannis Antetokounmpo awestruck in first NBA White House visit since Barack Obama was president:

The NBA is back.

In the White House that is. The NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks visited President Joe Biden at the White house on Monday, renewing a tradition that was put on hold during the Donald Trump presidency. Prior to Monday's visit, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the last NBA championship team to visit the White House when President Barack Obama hosted in 2016.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[RTH10260]

What do we know about the catering practices under the new administration

[keith]

IANAE(conomist), but it is my understanding that 4% unemployment is considered FULL EMPLOYMENT.

So 4.6% is getting awfully close to that threshold.

How is that playing out in real time? Why are there so many problems with the supply chain? With field crop picking? What is the big deal with the BBB "creating" hundreds of thousands of new jobs when most everybody is already employed?

[filly]

IANAE(conomist), but it is my understanding that 4% unemployment is considered FULL EMPLOYMENT.

So 4.6% is getting awfully close to that threshold.

How is that playing out in real time? Why are there so many problems with the supply chain? With field crop picking? What is the big deal with the BBB "creating" hundreds of thousands of new jobs when most everybody is already employed?

There are problems with the supply chain that aren't explainable in a sentence. The world (yes, it's global) has been dealing with a pandemic and all of the resultant ramifications, from production to distribution kick in. I see it every time I go to the grocery store. One week the shelves are fully stocked with an item, the next week it's gone and sometimes replaced by completely different brands, sometimes it's just gone.

The answer to your other questions seems to be that people are now unwilling to do certain jobs for the amount of money being offered. Other people don't want to work crazy and unpredictable hours that they were willing to do in the past, I've seen hundreds of articles, op-eds etc. that discuss this. Bottom line is that the pandemic has created shifts in economic decision making that will be studied for years.

Finally, the BBB jobs are touted to be the kinds of jobs people actually want: lots of union jobs with good pay and other protections and benefits that McDonald's won't offer even if they are paying $16/hr.

[Phoenix520]

I haven’t done much reading about this issue, and IANAE, but I would guess that some of the supply issues can be traced back to the widespread implementation of JIT inventory for manufacturers. My understanding is that JIT* followed the IRS change to valuing inventory at full price instead of whatever percentage it had been at.

In the before times, a manufacturer would have all the parts for an order in hand at once, with scheduled releases to their customers. The change meant they manufactured the parts just before shipping, and god forbid any part of the supply cycle was out of whack




* Just In Time

[filly]

IRS treatments or not, JIT will always be cheaper for a company. And it's a good part of the issue. But manufacturers are also having issues obtaining raw materials. It's a complex set of dominos.

[tek]

Back when I was still in direct manufacturing, early 1980s, JIT was just coming in to the computer industry.. by the time I was designing product to manufacture in the late 1980s we were already calling it NIT (Not In Time).

JIT either puts supply-chain buffers on someone else's balance sheet, or removes them entirely. So when things go wrong, there is likely no buffer at all.
Over the past year, I've been privy to negotiations where some part of the supply chain had a buffer of something we needed, but they were gonna choose carefully which customers were gonna get it and which would be left out in the cold.

[raison de arizona]

And there is video of him hammering the electric Hummer floating around Twitter as well.

[filly]

Joe gave a great speech in Detroit today.

[Volkonski]

We slept in and missed the Kamala Harris presidency.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politic ... e/3412729/

Senate Confirms First Native American to Lead National Park Service
This is the first Senate-confirmed National Park Service Director in nearly five years

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Charles “Chuck” Sams III as National Park Service director, which will make him the first Native American to lead the agency.

Some conservationists hailed Sams’ confirmation Thursday night as a commitment to equitable partnership with tribes, the original stewards of the land.

“I am deeply honored,” Sams told the Confederated Umatilla Journalon Friday. “I am also very deeply appreciative of the support, guidance and counsel of my tribal elders and friends throughout my professional career.”

The National Park Service oversees more than 131,000 square miles (339,000 square kilometers) of parks, monuments, battlefields and other landmarks. It employs about 20,000 people in permanent, temporary and seasonal jobs, according to its website.

Sams is the agency's first Senate-confirmed parks director in nearly five years. It was led by acting heads for years under the Trump administration, and for the first 10 months of Biden's presidency. Jonathan Jarvis, who was confirmed as park service director in 2009, left the agency in January 2017.

[noblepa]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politic ... e/3412729/

Senate Confirms First Native American to Lead National Park Service
This is the first Senate-confirmed National Park Service Director in nearly five years

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Charles “Chuck” Sams III as National Park Service director, which will make him the first Native American to lead the agency.

When was the last time that the Senate did anything unanimously? Besides giving themselves a pay raise?

[PaulG]

I don't know when they last voted unanimously one something important. There's all sorts of unanimous votes on things like National "Those Little Cakes We Like" Day.

[pipistrelle]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politic ... e/3412729/

Senate Confirms First Native American to Lead National Park Service
This is the first Senate-confirmed National Park Service Director in nearly five years

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Charles “Chuck” Sams III as National Park Service director, which will make him the first Native American to lead the agency.

When was the last time that the Senate did anything unanimously? Besides giving themselves a pay raise?

This is thrilling.

[northland10]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politic ... e/3412729/

Senate Confirms First Native American to Lead National Park Service
This is the first Senate-confirmed National Park Service Director in nearly five years

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Charles “Chuck” Sams III as National Park Service director, which will make him the first Native American to lead the agency.

When was the last time that the Senate did anything unanimously? Besides giving themselves a pay raise?

11 Voice Votes (just like the above) on THursday and Friday. And these 2 bills on Wednesday.

H.R. 5142 (Rep. McClain): A bill to award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servicemembers who perished in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation of citizens of the United States and Afghan allies at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and for other purposes.
-- Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.

S.Res. 455 (Sen. Rosen): A resolution designating November 2021 as "National Hospice and Palliative Care Month".
-- Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

I am not sure where they picked up "unanimous" for Sams though if it goes to a voice vote on a nomination, it is because nobody wants to object publically (i.e. for the record).

There was also a BIll that was more than just recognizing folks on the 4th.

S. 1511 (Sen. Grassley): A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to payments to certain public safety officers who have become permanently and totally disabled as a result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty, and for other purposes.
-- Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 1511 by Unanimous Consent.

[sad-cafe]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JOE BIDEN

[Dr. Ken]

[sugar magnolia]

And then you have the fuckwits like we have on Nextdoor. Her response to everything is "Thanks, Joe Biden."

A guy asked this morning why the local Starbucks was closed. Someone else said they were only open from 9-1 because of staff shortages. It's in the middle of a low-traffic shopping center, about 3 parking spaces from a random stop sign, and literally within eyesight of 2 other (locally owned) coffee shops. And yes, she responded with "Thanks Joe Biden."