Congress stumbles home with no relief
Originally Published : August 6, 2020
| IT’S DO OR DIE!!! SPEAK UP NOW WHILE OUR VOICE CAN STILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!! |
| It’s D-Day. Crunch time. The end of the line if we don’t get some assistance in the form of cash money dollars from Congress or rent relief from Albany or I don’t know what from De Mayor. Man, it’s such a drag to have to ask for handouts and to be dependent on politicians to save our asses isn’t it? We became entrepreneurs for this very reason; so we didn’t have to rely on anyone but ourselves to make a living and achieve our goals and live the very life that we wanted. And now, we have to beg and plead to the political sloths most of whom have no idea how much blood, sweat and tears it takes to make your own way in this world. The bureaucratic bozos in DC continue their impressive streak of ineptitude as they stumble home for the weekend. They left the Feisty Four of Speaker P., Chuck, Mnooch and DT’s chief sycophant, Mark Meadows to work out a deal. I told you Speaker P. held all the cards and now we see that she is playing them like a pro and she’s running circles around the R’s. In fact, her hand is so good that she drove Queen Bee McConnell from the table and he’s folded and is out of the negotiations. Not upset about that, but I’m just not hearing anyone talking much about more relief for small businesses or the hospitality industry and that has me concerned. Queen Bee did mumble something about needing to renew PPP as he slithered around the Capitol today but that’s about it. Things are not much better on the homefront as Cuomo desperately hobnobs in the Hamptons to assuage the fears of the masters of the universe who have deserted our city by promising them that he won’t raise their taxes. And De Mayor is his usual bumbling mess and none of them understand how dire the situation is or they just don’t care. So where does this leave us? Well, we need to get to Congress first and fast. Get involved already and don’t think that your voice does not matter. Can you really be upset about the state of things if you didn’t speak up? Here is how to get heard. Call Chuck: (202) 224-6542 Call Gillbrand:(202) 224-4451 Call Cuomo at: 1-518-474-8390 Email De Blasio at: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page Join ROAR at: https://www.roarnewyork.org/ Join the Hospitality Coalition at: https://www.newyorkhospitalitycoalition.com/ Join the Hospitality Alliance at: https://www.thenycalliance.org/ I’m calling and emailing and I’m involved in all of the above organizations and I am not holding back. They need to hear our anger, frustration and our demand to get something done for us. Let loose. If nothing else, it feels good to get it out. And here’s Mr. Levey with some thoughts of his own: Joey Regs Says… I’ve got more positive news to report today than negative news, so that’s a win as far as I’m concerned. Let’s get right to it… Special SLA allowances for booze delivery and to go. This special allowance has been renewed again, right at the buzzer again, and we’re now safe through September 4th. Good news? Of course! But please, please, please pay attention to the fact that these allowances only last for 30 days at a time, and they are getting renewed at the very last moment every time. Translation: one day this could just stop-no warning, no advance notice. So please keep an eye on this. We will obviously always do our best to break all news relating to this one way or another ASAP, but just something to have in the back of your minds. Outdoor Dining in NYC is here to stay? De Mayor gave us a much needed boost this week, by announcing that the “Open Restaurants” program has been such a resounding success that NYC will allow it on a recurring basis. He went on to say that it will be back next season starting June 1st 2021, and that he is currently considering making it a year-round program. We don’t have many specifics yet, but I imagine if this becomes a more permanent program, you may see fees associated with it in the future, as well as some community [board] oversight (much like we see with sidewalk cafes). Until then though, let’s enjoy the good news. Alcoholic Ice cream is a full go! About a decade ago, State legislation was passed to allow wine-infused ice cream to be produced and sold without all of the hassle generally associated with producing a consumable with real alcohol content. The ABV had to stay below 5%, but it was a major change. About two years ago, that statute was amended to add/include beer and cider to the list of approvable ingredients for frozen treats. The 5% ABV rule remained in place. Earlier this week, the Governor announced that he is finally adding spirits to the list! Yes, the 5% ABV rule stays, but the move unlocks tremendous flavor profile potential, and hopefully gives some of you a way to get creative and create some additional revenue streams. Last note on Open Restaurants. Please remember that even if you have a NYC DCA Sidewalk Café Permit, you still must register on the NYC Open Restaurants platform. Enforcement people are out there, and people are receiving violations. It take 5 mins. Please just do this, and protect yourselves. Joey Regs Out. RIP – Pete Hamill, a true New York newspaper man and writer and man of the people. From his novel, “A Drinking Life”: “Drinking was an integral part of sexuality, easy entrance to its dark and mysterious treasure chambers. Drinking was the sacramental binder of friendships. Drinking was the reward for work, the fuel of celebration, the consolation for death or defeat. Drinking gave me strength, confidence, ease, laughter; it made me believe that dreams really could come true.” I think we could all use a drink right about now. |
