Biden’s Farewell Gifts

Biden’s Farewell Gifts

Biden is certainly going out with a bang. He commuted the sentences of over 1,500 prisoners. He then took off federal death row all inmates but three. He permanently removed 625 million acres of offshore waters from oil and gas leasing. There is some question as to whether a president can bar future presidents through such an action so expect this edict to be challenged. He banned natural gas tankless hot water heaters that make up 40 percent of the market. The leading manufacturer of the water heaters just finished the construction of a $70 million factory in Georgia that manufactures those water heaters and says that the facility will be rendered useless. Look for Trump to reverse the ban. 

Then there are the awards. First Biden gives out 20 Presidential Citizens Awards. The recipients were 

Mary Bonauto – Gay rights activist

Bill Bradley – Former US Senator and basketball star

Frank Butler – Battlefield trauma innovator

Liz Cheney – Vice chair of January 6 committee

Chris Dodd – Connecticut senator 

Diane Evans – Founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation

Joseph Galloway – Vietnam war correspondent

Nancy Landon Kassebaum – Kansas senator 

Ted Kaufman – Delaware senator

Carolyn McCarthy – New York congresswoman

Louis Redding – Civil Rights attorney

Bobby Sager – Photographer

Collins Deitz – Delaware judge

Eleanor Smeal – Women’s rights activist

Bennie Thompson – Mississippi congressman and Jan 6 vice chair

Mitsuye Tsutsumi – Japanese American activist

Thomas Vallely – Founder of Fulbright University Vietnam

Frances Visco – National Breast Cancer Coalition

Paula Wallace – Savannah College of Art and Design

Evan Wolfson – Gay rights activist

Clearly, the awards to Liz Chaney and Bennie Thompson generated the most buzz. Here Biden is throwing a middle finger at Trump supporters and Trump himself. It is surprising that he didn’t include Fani Willis and Letitia James.

Biden then handed out nineteen Medal of Freedom Awards, the nation’s highest civilian awards.

Jose Andres – Spanish chef and founder of World Central Kitchen

 Bono – U2 vocalist

Ashton Carter – Former Secretary of Defense

Hillary Clinton

Michael J. Fox – Actor

Tim Gill – Gay rights activist

Jane Goodall – Ethologist

Fannie Lou Hamer – Civil Rights activist

Magic Johnson – Basketball star

Robert F. Kennedy

Ralph Lauren- Fashion Designer

Lionel Messi – Soccer player

Bill Nye – the Science Guy

George W. Romney – Former governor of Michigan

David Rubenstein -Chairman of the Carlyle Group

George Soros

George Stevens, Jr – Founder of the American Film Institute

Denzel Washington – Actor

Anna Wintour – Editor of Vogue

The Nation’s Highest Awards go to this group? Obviously the shadow presidents must love tapas, sports clothes and movies. The flash points are obviously Hillary Clinton and George Soros. But Bono? Bill Nye? Lionel Messi? Actually one could question the entire list although I like Fannie Lou Hamer, Jane Goodall and Michael J. Fox for his work on Parkinson’s. But the end of this administration can’t come soon enough.