Overcast winter weather can give you plenty of time to think. I’ve been thinking about feelings and perspectives a lot lately. Since January 20, I and many I know have felt differently than they have for the last few years. Some have slept better. Some think the world is over. It all has to do with US politics, and I felt compelled to list a few things about life right now.
President Biden hit the ground running. According to federalregistry.com, Biden has recorded 24 EO’s so far.
EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
EO 14007: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
EO 14006: Reforming Our Incarceration System To Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated
EO 14005: Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers
EO 14004: Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform
EO 14003: Protecting the Federal Workforce
EO 14002: Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
EO 14001: A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain
EO 14000: Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers
EO 13999: Protecting Worker Health and Safety
EO 13998: Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel
EO 13997: Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19
EO 13996: Establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for COVID-19 and Other Biological Threats
EO 13995: Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery
EO 13994: Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats
EO 13993: Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities
EO 13992: Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation
EO 13991: Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing
EO 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis
EO 13989: Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
EO 13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation
EO 13987: Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government To Provide a Unified and Effective Response To Combat COVID-19 and To Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security
EO 13986: Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census
EO 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government
It’s weird to see so many topics that support so many different people and our environment. But it shouldn't be.
The CDC has revamped their COVID19 screens and added new reports, including a daily community profile report that is currently 33 pages. In it, Wisconsin is now described as a “yellow” state with prolonged high risk of spread. It’s good to see that all our parameters (cases, deaths, positive percentages, new hospital admits, percent beds used, percent ICU beds used) are trending downward. Unfortunately, testing is also going down. Hopefully neither the new fulltime face-to-face school in 6th-12th grade in the WSD that started this week, nor the attempts of our state legislature to remove Governor Evers’s emergency orders (including, but not exclusively, his mask mandate) throughout the state, won’t negatively impact those data trends. Alas, we’ve lost 61 residents in Waukesha County since 1/14 when I last tracked weekly figures. That’s more than 3 a day. In Wisconsin, for every 100 folks who are hospitalized, 24 won’t make it.
It’s weird to see so much data on the CDC website regarding COVID-19. But it shouldn’t be.
The White House has established regular press briefings and COVID pandemic briefings. In addition, all agencies have been directed to speak clearly and regularly to the public about what is going on in their areas. The WH transcripts are all posted in a timely fashion on their website. On January 29, Press Secretary Jen Psaki gave a heads up for a trial of giving Biden’s upcoming week’s schedule.
“Next Monday, the President will meet with the Secretary of State at the State Department.
On Tuesday, President Biden will deliver remarks and sign an executive order advancing his priority to modernize our immigration system.
And Friday is, of course, Jobs Day, and the President will deliver remarks about the economy.”
It’s weird seeing such transparency and breadth of work in the White House. But it shouldn’t be.
In EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the following wording on scientific autonomy is included:
“President Biden will also sign an important Presidential Memorandum on scientific integrity to send a clear message that the Biden-Harris Administration will protect scientists from political interference and ensure they can think, research, and speak freely to provide valuable information and insights to the American people.”
It’s weird to see explicit shout-outs to the autonomy of science and scientists. But it shouldn’t be.
A number of cabinet members have been confirmed. While they may have histories within the Democratic Party, they passed through the process fairly quickly and Janet Yellen in particular received strong bipartisan support.
Antony Blinken: SECRETARY OF STATE
Janet Yellen: SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
Gen. Lloyd Austin: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Avril Haines: National Intelligence Director
It’s weird knowing none have direct family or business ties to the current president. But it shouldn’t be.
It’s weird not seeing the president golfing and tweeting rants. But it shouldn’t be.
It’s weird seeing the president bow his head and go to church services and memorials to those who have died to COVID19. But it shouldn’t be.
It’s weird thinking we may actually see shifts at the federal level toward policies that will support people and not “business” and those who control the majority of wealth. But it shouldn't be.
It’s weird feeling some hope. But it shouldn’t be.