caulfield12

Do you really expect that states who fail aren’t simply going to follow the Trump playbook and blame that divergent data on “interstate commerce” or travel/tourism or “imported cases from neighboring states”? Buried deep in Chomsky is something that cuts to the heart of the matter on the current vaccine efforts as well (this has been already discussed, with Balta taking the most extreme position on why public health might not be prioritized over pharmaceutical industry profits). The depth of the pathology is revealed clearly by one of the most dramatic — and murderous — failures: the lack of ventilators that is one the major bottlenecks in confronting the pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services foresaw the problem, and contracted with a small firm to produce inexpensive, easy-to-use ventilators. But then capitalist logic intervened. The firm was bought by a major corporation, Covidien, which sidelined the project, and, “In 2014, with no ventilators having been delivered to the government, Covidien executives told officials at the [federal] biomedical research agency that they wanted to get out of the contract, according to three former federal officials. The executives complained that it was not sufficiently profitable for the company.” Doubtless true. Neoliberal logic then intervened, dictating that the government could not act to overcome the gross market failure, which is now causing havoc. As The New York Times gently put the matter, “The stalled efforts to create a new class of cheap, easy-to-use ventilators highlight the perils of outsourcing projects with critical public-health implications to private companies; their focus on maximizing profits is not always consistent with the government’s goal of preparing for a future crisis.” We’ve already witnessed this particular conflict play out in the realm of testing (prioritizing those 3 immense commercial labs vs. public hospitals and health centers.) Currently, we are building out an additional stockpile of around 65,000 ventilators at around $15,000 a pop through GM and Ford....and they MIGHT be ready in June or July, MAYBE??? It was all eminently avoidable, and had even been anticipated as a future need by HHS, but broke down with a corporate response Ayn Rand herself likely would have delighted in.

Noam Chomsky is more appropriate today. https://truthout.org/articles/chomsky-covid-19-has-exposed-the-us-under-trump-as-a-failed-state/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=7135e5f4-c0e9-486f-9b96-d6576625d16d He is certainly no fan of Biden, Obama, Clinton and the neoliberal world order...it’s quite painful to read, and extremely LONG, but a stark reminder of how much still needs to be done in order to leave a better world (and more abundant opportunities) for the next two generations of Americans.

Mass layoffs begin in cities and states https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/29/cities-states-layoffs-furloughs-coronavirus/ In fact, the calls for federal aid have been bipartisan, And many states entered the latest economic downturn in a far better financial position than they did the 2008 recession, thanks in part to healthier cash reserves. The data has not assuaged Republicans, including McConnell, who told Politico in an interview that the Senate would not “finance mistakes they’ve made unrelated to the coronavirus.” His office declined to comment for this story. Other Republicans led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) similarly have mobilized in opposition to open-ended aid to struggling city and state governments, breaking with local officials even in the states they represent. “We believe additional money sent to the states for ‘lost revenue’ or without appropriate safeguards will be used to bail out unfunded pensions, reward decades of state mismanagement, and incentivize states to become more reliant on federal taxpayers,” Scott wrote in a draft letter to the president, which he has circulated among his colleagues for signatures. His office confirmed the letter, which attacks New York and Illinois for their financial decisions. Ironic how much of the Federal financial assistance went to corporate stock buybacks and executive bonuses/golden parachutes in 2008-09...forcing us to bail out many of those industries once again. But that’s white collar corporate socialism....only Bernie Sanders supporters and left wing nut jobs really care about that, right? At any rate, here comes the next emerging financial tsunami. Roughly 1/3rd or 1/4th the state and municipal authorities being furloughed as financial austerity measures are increasingly imposed. It’s totally reminiscent of the EU arguments between Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and France that are adamantly opposed by Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The key difference here in the US is that most of these coastal states pay a lot more in Federal taxes than they receive back (see earlier discussion up thread), with the majority of of those “socialist welfare” benefits redistributed to poorer, rural, Red States with a disproportionate influence in Congress. If you are elderly, work for a small business, are unfortunate enough to live in a Blue state, are surviving on fixed income programs like Social Security or Medicaid, work in retail/fast food/minimum wage jobs, are an immigrant or minority, hold public sector or union jobs...you suddenly have a massive target on your back. And you can pretty much forget nationwide contact tracing through public health agencies with all these layoffs. But hey, the stock market was up again today despite all this horrific economic news, why worry?

Simply because Finland, Norway and Sweden are always in that very top tier in “world happiness” rankings, much higher tax rates, lower (generally) social inequality, more investment in public education (Finland especially), etc. Heck, even Trump once made the comment about wanting more “quality” immigrants (or models?) wanting to becoming US citizens from that same region, right? Basically, those three are the gold standard of “socialistic” utopias on earth...along with Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia/NZ. Maybe Germany, Switzerland and Austria as well in that next tier down. Have never really seen Italy, Spain, France and UK accorded the same status. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/business/meat-processing-plant-workers-reaction-executive-order/index.html Meat pack workers to Trump: We Aren’t Going To Show Up...uh oh

LOL. It’s east to say that when all the testing resources are “kidnapped” by the Federal government to award them to commercialized for profit labs that charge whatever they can get away with. Btw, six weeks ago, VP Pence apparently didn’t promise 4 million tests performed and analyzed...just the theoretical capacity to do that, which basically means absolutely jack shi$ to those critically needing a result. With hospitals and public health centers struggling to even acquire 100 measly swabs at a time when they need thousands...and no reagents in sight with everyone in the world bidding against each other in a dystopian Ayn Rand nightmare , it’s quite easy just to throw up one’s hands and say it’s pointless. Our Federal response has strategized, and determined that delegitimizing the need for testing to open up (at least as a consistent press talking point) is the best way out of this mess. Really! Probably another brilliant Kushner idea. At least he’s sitting there contentedly on his stockpile, king in the castle (channeling Borat voice here.)

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/amc-refuses-play-universal-films-015726351.html This is an extremely interesting topic IMO....with Trolls going straight to VOD for $19.99 and crushing it, you have the perfect storm brewing against the movie theatre model. AMC/Wanda makes the perfect villain. Chinese owned, and they were already planning on skipping out on rent payments. They have to be hemorrhaging money, and the real estate/shopping mall/cinema model is equally under threat here in China due to online platforms with nearly instant and delivery. AMC is in big trouble. Fighting with studios is just surrendering market share to other theatre chains. And conservatives should realize if Sweden actually comes through their “let ‘er rip” social experiment, they will then be forced to extol the virtues of a socialized health care system, lol. Bernie Sanders ultimately gets his revenge. The GOP walked right into that one.

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2020/international/ Top 30 intl. list, Cespedes’ brother #1...no mention of White Sox with top 5 so far #20 dude from Cuba sporting White Sox cap https://www.mlb.com/news/top-30-international-prospects-2020?partnerId=zh-20200429-156906-47943&query_id=1026&bt_ee=34AAHe1mXL3D8Av1GRW36opqOEVTrRcugBlINUVB4V%2BSyVVTgqQN%2B4LPmnoAVV3s&bt_ts=1588159952198 Full article, Cubs favorite for #5 guy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/his-name-on-stimulus-checks-trump-sends-a-gushing-letter-to-90-million-people/2020/04/28/04143a62-8999-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html I’ve figured it out, finally. The real plan all along was to bankrupt the USPS by sending out 90 million free/taxpayer subsidized Trump reelection advertisements, many to millions of Americans who’d already received their payments through Direct Deposit. That way, when September and October roll around, Trump can then shut down the entire post office system in the middle of a pandemic so only the most ardent supporters will vote in person, giving him enough of an advantage from his lunatic fringe voters to eke out another Electoral College squeaker, this time over Biden. It would be the fifth it happened in US history. Each time, a Republican over a Democrat (I know, I know...but who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory?) 1876 Hayes over Tilden 1888 Harrison over Cleveland (rife with corruption) 2000 Bush over Gore 2016 Trump over Clinton 2020 ??? https://time.com/5579161/presidents-elected-electoral-college/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/28/politics/testing-coronavirus-hospitals-commercial-labs-invs/index.html Favoring the Big 3 commercial/for profit labs over public hospitals and health centers pretty much ensures it will be months and months before we have enough testing. And it’s quite intentional, so they can continue to argue they have sufficient testing...just without the swabs, reagents and diagnostic lab technicians. Great work! Putting profits over people should be the motto, not MAGA or KAGA.

What’s the point of comparing the US to Sweden when they have entirely different health care systems...levels of socioeconomic inequality...demographics...population density, etc.? Whatever they’re doing, you would have to apply it in a way that would work out unfavorably for the US, where we have the highest rates of obesity and underlying conditions, not to mention lowest amount of preventive care investment. The only thing we do “more” of is spending a higher percentage of our GDP, and more $$$/capita...but that’s so skewed by the standard of care and quality of diagnostic equipment and access to pretty much everything that the top 15-20% in the US currently enjoy. According to Forbes Magazine, Sweden is the 2nd healthiest country in the world with an average life expectancy of over 80 years. It also has one of the lowest obesity rates in the Western world, half of that of Australia according to OECD. So it seems that the Swedes are doing something right. Organization: OECD

Not to mention the correlation with vaping... But the rate is 20% among those 18 to 29 years of age compared with 8% among those 30 to 64 years of age, and less than 0.5% among those 65 and older.

He’s not talking about consumer needs vs. wants, and My Pillow Guy vs. Nike. It’s how can the economic livelihood of one person be put ahead of the health care concerns of another...? Money can always be gained and regained. You can’t say the same thing about a human life. And there’s a multiplier effect here at play, too. For every suicide or family breakdown due to economic circumstances, there’s a highly trained doctor or nurse feeling even more intense pressure when we overload hospitals with our self-centered, me first decision-making. What will your attitude on this topic when you or your family can’t access a doctor because too many Americans are putting themselves individually ahead of the collective good? A cavalier dismissal...that’s just life? Some inevitably have to die to save the rest of us? Why are you the arbiter who gets to make these life and death determinations? An entrepreneur is always going to be a risk taker taker by nature. They will succeed no matter what obstacles you place in their path because it’s our way of life. Cycles of boom and bust repeat. We will eventually replace capital, printing more money and injecting additional stimulus/liquidity into the system. What we can’t easily or as quickly do is replace our best, most experienced doctors who have been burned out compensatating for poor judgment.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/04/28/pence-mayo-clinic-mask-nr-vpx.cnn Really, not wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic, Mr. VP? Just do it to set an example, instead of being stubborn/macho or whatever not wearing a mask signifies these days...

At the very least, a Waffle House. Doing that might help him clinch Georgia, Florida...and protect Sen. Kelly “Insider Trading” Loeffler simultaneously. Plus, the cholesterol numbers are right in his normal fine dining wheelhouse.

The best countries (in terms of effective testing) have been been at the 2-7% range, correct? On the plus side, it’s better than the national average for the entire country, largely skewed upwards because of NY/NJ. And, drum roll please, the biggest recipients of SBA loans? Ashford and two real estate investment trusts that it advises, Ashford Hospitality Trust and Braemar Hotels & Resorts, collectively applied for $126 million for 130 hotels and luxury resorts across the country that employed 14,000 people. All three are headed by Dallas hotelier Monty J. Bennett. The companies had combined revenue of $2.2 billion last year. They sought PPP loans for each hotel location with 500 or fewer employees. The companies earlier disclosed receiving $58.7 million in loans for hotels branded with some of the industry’s biggest names, such as Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Westin. In new regulatory filings Friday, the companies reported millions more in approved loans. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/local-companies/2020/04/26/publicly-traded-dallas-hotel-group-says-its-keeping-126-million-in-small-business-rescue-loans/?utm_content=bufferfdbb6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Quite the list of political contributions during the 2016 cycle from Mr. Bennett, lol...$143,250 to Trump Victory and that’s just the starter. He can afford nearly $400k in political contributions, but can’t manage to take care of his employees? https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/monty-bennett.asp?cycle=16

One can make an argument that the Trump administration is attempting to stop Bezos....at least that Department of Defense contract worth billions shockingly awarded to MSFT...and now tied up in a lawsuit. Not to mention trying to raise the prices by a factor of 5-6x on USPS deliveries of AMZN packages. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/amazon-gets-restraining-order-to-block-microsoft-work-on-pentagon-jedi.html That said, it’s not just Amazon. It’s the very top of the pyramid. Wal-Mart. Apple. Facebook. Google. Netflix. MSFT. They will have so much power, a financial and lobbying influence so disproportionate that the middle and lower class might as well no longer exist. We’re clearly seeing it with the banks favoring their deep pocketed institutional clients as well with two SBA funding rounds. If you don’t have at least a billion dollars, nobody in Washington will pay attention. The only way to fight back is a grassroots effort like Sanders had going strong based on thousands and thousands of small contributors, and actually winning elections (where they proved to be far less effective with their endorsed candidates.) Nevertheless, the establishment neoliberal wing of the Democratic Party wiped out five years of Our Revolution organizing in less than ten days, from South Carolina through Super Tuesday. This despite the fact a majority of the party was closer on most platform issues to the left than the right. For the second presidential election in a row, a majority of Dems don’t even have a candidate they 100% can believe in. This time, however, that and Tara Reade might not even be enough to save Trump from the massive hole he’s dug for himself.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2020-04-02/padres-mlb-no-fans-tv-corona-covid The answer is only the Yankees and the Dodgers would make profit from that broadcasting without fans model. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2020/04/17/the-mlb-stadium-revenue-at-risk-for-every-team-if-games-are-played-without-fans/#978e8d27a355 Not so much for the profits of the 30 teams—player costs would be reduced to a certain degree to account for the loss of stadium revenue—but because the loss of stadium revenue would necessitate a radical change in baseball’s revenue-sharing formula, whereby 48% of net local revenue from the previous season is pooled and shared equally among the 30 teams. The top five teams in stadium revenue (see full list below) for the 2019 season—the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants—chipped in more than $250 million combined toward revenue sharing, based on the previous season’s revenue. Several teams on the bottom half of the list—like the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds—each received more than $20 million last season. New York Yankees: $470 million in stadium revenue Boston Red Sox: $366 million Chicago Cubs: $321 million Los Angeles Dodgers: $320 million San Francisco Giants: $299 million St. Louis Cardinals: $220 million Houston Astros: $217 million The White Sox were 23rd at $97 million. Texas, with their new stadium opening, would arguably have been over $200 million as well.

This is a bit misleading. Not going to calculate for each company, but the DJIA is still down roughly 16% on the year, not that anyone will be feeling sorry for the billionaire class. It bottomed out at around 18,000 and now at 24,100 and some change, so about a 34% swing back up.

https://news.yahoo.com/top-er-doctor-treated-virus-122258067.html Heartbreaking story...which all the governors reopening their states would take the time to consider the cost to health care professionals of overwhelming the system.

Of course, if you don’t have access to testing...especially rural counties...which encompasses 80-85% of the state, you can never qualify since Covid won’t ever be verified and you’ll be (expletive deleted) out of luck. But the cat’s out of the bag on how red states are planning on saving money. But I would hardly agree that’s a utilitarian case of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

We’re never going to get a number...doing so makes those individuals sound like a cross between Mussolini and Pol Pot. It’s simply not the way most of us were raised. To willingly sacrifice so many American lives that were 100% preventable. This is clearly not the same issue as sending transport ships against fortified pillboxes on Omaha Beach.

South Korea and China have similar mobile phone applications. Hyperbole aside, South Korea presents their citizens with a considerable number of freedoms, comparatively. I worked there, so I should know. The ones in China work through WeChat and Alipay (Alibaba’s mobile payments’ platform.) The elephant in the room though...are you willing to allow a government controlled app to track your every single movement through GPS? To provide you a green (okay to work), yellow (warning) or red (must go into quarantine) based on a comprehensive set of data analysis parameters and algorithms? Are all 200 something million American adults? What about seniors or kids without cell phones, much more common in the US than in Asian countries, where absolutely every living soul except my coworker who attended Princeton had a smartphone at the beginning of this crisis. This app tracks your proximity to infected people...or at least those with a temperature...and allows one to access block by block and neighborhood/district by neighborhood detailed information about active cases. The problem is that we are not willing or unable to assign ten thousands (or in the case of China, millions) of trained workers to do contact tracing across the country. Most states with huge problems are on the verge on bankruptcy or insolvency, so funds would have to come from the Federal level to support public health initiatives. Dr. Birx has already basically thrown her hands up in the air and given up...hoping for some near future technological breakthrough on testing. Willingly or unwillingly, the entire country is now just rolling the dice, HOPING to protect the 20% most vulnerable and not to wipe out the other 80% in the process. The problem is that roughly 60% of Americans are elevated risk due to age or health factors. Whatever they do, opening businesses at 20-40% of previous capacity but 80-90% of the previous overhead costs is not going to save the economy. Only science can do that. Not a national salesman, confidence man or cheerleader. Politicians have never successfully confronted the public health crises of the last 150 years, only scientists have succeeded. And that will always be the case. We don’t need political solutions geared towards winning elections in the short term, we need long term investment in this sector so we’re 100% prepared for the next wave, the next year...the next emerging pandemic that’s lurking in a cave or wild animal somewhere in the world at this very moment.

Probably. Germany, Iceland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and New Zealand some of the other standouts...Singapore before the weakness in keeping migrant/imported laborers clustered together in inhumanely overcrowded apartments due to the exorbitant cost of living space.

Which leads to an obvious point. In a concentrated geographic area less than half the size of California but roughly the same population....we went from January 23rd through April 26th before reopening the city close to 100% (schools, theatres, restaurants still not open.) That’s three full months. The US is still right in the middle of that timeframe...6-7 weeks. Our problems here were primarily concentrated in ONE contiguous area, not roughly 35 different states (with a vast divergence in mitigation strategies) compared to one unified, nationwide approach.

Well, they can’t even get airline passengers limited to essential travel only...because, profits. The Flight Attendants’ union is having to fight this battle, about PPE on planes, about discouraging touristic travel until the virus is contained, etc. They obviously don’t have the choice whether to work or not if they want to keep their jobs.