All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (1 Viewer)

[Maxp]

I fear we are really going to be in a bad place due to the obvious cuts to the federal agencies that deal with infectious disease, but also the negative effect the Affordable Care act has had on non urban hospitals. Our front line defenses are ineffectual and our ability to treat the populous is probably at an all time low. Factor in the cost of healthcare and I can see our system crashing. What do you think about the politics of this virus?

 

[Ayo]

I mentioned this in another thread when we talked about waste and greed in the healthcare industry - an update on the govt deal regarding those ventilators.

 

[efil4]

I mentioned this in another thread when we talked about waste and greed in the healthcare industry - an update on the govt deal regarding those ventilators.

Art of the Deal.

"when you are spending money thats NOT yours, who cares? "

Just every domestic lending facility since 1995 when it comes to DJT.

He like a kid in a candy store right now. Too bad there are these things like "oversight committees"

oops.

 

[Farb]

On the flip side, what is those over priced ventilators were actually needed (we all know now they were not)? How much blow back from being cheap and not securing these when everyone was terrified of this virus? That is rhetorical, because there is always blow back when you are trump.

I am all for looking at these deals and if Navarro screwed up and if they were grossly negligent and done in bad form, can him, file charges, whatever needs to be done depending on what the facts show. Not political venom just facts.

I found myself chuckling as I typed that because Washington is a terrible place, full of the very worst of us. Everything there is political venom.

 

[Ayo]

On the flip side, what is those over priced ventilators were actually needed (we all know now they were not)? How much blow back from being cheap and not securing these when everyone was terrified of this virus? That is rhetorical, because there is always blow back when you are trump.

I am all for looking at these deals and if Navarro screwed up and if they were grossly negligent and done in bad form, can him, file charges, whatever needs to be done depending on what the facts show. Not political venom just facts.

I found myself chuckling as I typed that because Washington is a terrible place, full of the very worst of us. Everything there is political venom.

I don't have answers to all those questions - and my intent was, as I mentioned in the other post, about the waste and inefficiencies of our system. I didn't bother breaking down the individual nuances or details or this deal and I have no idea if Navarro did anything untoward.

From what I understand, these were to complete a deal that was actually formed under Obama as a preparation for an outbreak like COVID but wasn't entirely filled. They came back and filled them with these after COVID started popping, at increased prices.

There's a timeline breakdown that I couldn't really follow, but the gist seemed to be some price gouging-related things.

We had a guy show up at our house in Lake Charles offering to tarp our house for 1,000 bucks up front, cash, and insurance "would probably" reimburse us. This struck us as shady and we passed, but that's the kind of thing you can expect. Like the guy with a garage full of supplies and overcharging people for them.

That's heinous enough, and maybe Navarro did something wrong. If he did, he'll never pay for it - nobody in DC ever really does.

But my larger issue with this is how it contradicts the narrative about how we could never do another healthcare system because it would cost too much. I bet if you looked harder, this sort of expense (and Medicare fraud was something like 50 billion in a single year a few years ago) could be identified and we could get ourselves a real healthcare system.

Like the rest of the developed world.

 

[efil4]

On the flip side, what is those over priced ventilators were actually needed (we all know now they were not)? How much blow back from being cheap and not securing these when everyone was terrified of this virus? That is rhetorical, because there is always blow back when you are trump.

I am all for looking at these deals and if Navarro screwed up and if they were grossly negligent and done in bad form, can him, file charges, whatever needs to be done depending on what the facts show. Not political venom just facts.

I found myself chuckling as I typed that because Washington is a terrible place, full of the very worst of us. Everything there is political venom.

They were never going to be needed.

It's just the flu.

See that's the issue... Had Trump and his administration taken seriously from the get go, then a proper plan could have been in place, proper accounting for what we have/what we don't have and what is needed asap.

We flew by the seat of our pants and this is the result.

Same thing if you go on vacation and don't take a suitcase full of clothes or pack incorrectly for the weather. Or don't budget for dining out etc. You get home, open the checkbook and start doing the math, and find that you spent well over your budgeted amount and now indebted to dig out from the cc balance.

Fortunate in this case it was caught and nixed. So at least we won't be talking about this expenditure in 2021.

 

[superchuck500]

On the flip side, what is those over priced ventilators were actually needed (we all know now they were not)? How much blow back from being cheap and not securing these when everyone was terrified of this virus? That is rhetorical, because there is always blow back when you are trump.

I am all for looking at these deals and if Navarro screwed up and if they were grossly negligent and done in bad form, can him, file charges, whatever needs to be done depending on what the facts show. Not political venom just facts.

I found myself chuckling as I typed that because Washington is a terrible place, full of the very worst of us. Everything there is political venom.

It's highly unusual for a White House trade advisor to making federal acquisition deals anyway. Navarro has no acquisition authority. These kinds of deals (negotiated by White House officials with no acquisition authority or training) have historically gone badly - no matter the administration.

 

[superchuck500]

So this is interesting. While I support on-going eviction controls, doing it this way is really problematic IMO - for a number of reasons beginning with the use of a health-agency's quarantine authority to control evictions (not a federal matter) when the same federal executive branch has, for months, advanced the position that this public health situation is not an emergency, and does not require a broad-scaled federal policy response. It's also a significant step on the path of an ever-increasing unchecked power of the federal executive (a path that began decades ago and shows no sign of stopping despite its clear dangers).

 

[MT15]

You know, even if you like everything about Trump’s policies, I still don’t get how you can support the guy. Clearly in over his head, doesn’t plan or prepare, everything is done haphazardly. No real plan to govern appears to be in place. I just don’t get it.

 

[bdb13]

You know, even if you like everything about Trump’s policies, I still don’t get how you can support the guy. Clearly in over his head, doesn’t plan or prepare, everything is done haphazardly. No real plan to govern appears to be in place. I just don’t get it.

Still better than a Democrat.

None of that really matters because Trump plays for the team they support and by default he's still much preferable to them than some "liberal."

 

[JimEverett]

So this is interesting. While I support on-going eviction controls, doing it this way is really problematic IMO - for a number of reasons beginning with the use of a health-agency's quarantine authority to control evictions (not a federal matter) when the same federal executive branch has, for months, advanced the position that this public health situation is not an emergency, and does not require a broad-scaled federal policy response. It's also a significant step on the path of an ever-increasing unchecked power of the federal executive (a path that began decades ago and shows no sign of stopping despite its clear dangers).

There is also a broader point about putting off real solutions until after an election, and I guess that applies to everyone, not just Trump here. There seems to be this belief, and I think it is shared by many, that once this virus is over or once it is sufficiently under control that the economy will just get back to humming along in a short period. I don't see it.

Governments are really strapped for cash - which will have a significant effect on private business for years. Businesses are closed and will not be reopening, ever. There is a chance you could see a big increase in startups but that is not guaranteed - especially given the distressed state a lot of cities are in. You add in the fact that these foreclosure/eviction moratoriums have resulted in a significant number of people not having made a payment on their house/apartment since March and April there is no way we are going to avoid a huge number of foreclosures/evictions at some point unless there is a massive federal bailout - which seems unlikely given that states/municipalities are going to need a bailout and we have already spent close to $2 trillion and allocated $3T - with a need for at least $1T more just in economic stimulus.

 

[Booker]

I'm sure it will help that Trump took advantage of the strong economic times to eliminate the deficit like he said he was going to do balloon the deficit by $1 Trillion/year.

 

[efil4]

There is also a broader point about putting off real solutions until after an election, and I guess that applies to everyone, not just Trump here. There seems to be this belief, and I think it is shared by many, that once this virus is over or once it is sufficiently under control that the economy will just get back to humming along in a short period. I don't see it.

Governments are really strapped for cash - which will have a significant effect on private business for years. Businesses are closed and will not be reopening, ever. There is a chance you could see a big increase in startups but that is not guaranteed - especially given the distressed state a lot of cities are in. You add in the fact that these foreclosure/eviction moratoriums have resulted in a significant number of people not having made a payment on their house/apartment since March and April there is no way we are going to avoid a huge number of foreclosures/evictions at some point unless there is a massive federal bailout - which seems unlikely given that states/municipalities are going to need a bailout and we have already spent close to $2 trillion and allocated $3T - with a need for at least $1T more just in economic stimulus.

The solution is put off because the solution is raising taxes.

We have dug the hole so deep at this point, thats the only solution. The problem is timing.

 

[Farb]

You know, even if you like everything about Trump’s policies, I still don’t get how you can support the guy. Clearly in over his head, doesn’t plan or prepare, everything is done haphazardly. No real plan to govern appears to be in place. I just don’t get it.

You know we think the exact same way about your options to lead us, right?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53994209

 

[efil4]

You know we think the exact same way about your options to lead us, right?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53994209

So then if MT15 appears on your voting ballot, you have no issue pulling the lever ?

MT15- you have one vote! LOLOL

 

[The moose]

You know we think the exact same way about your options to lead us, right?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53994209

That is just a beautiful link.

Nancy getting her hair done without a mask after the wash before the cut. Did they have anyone else at the salon? Did she put it on for the cut? So many questions.

That is it your smoking gun!

When our president gets his bird nest and makeup job daily is he masked? Are the people that do it for him? I am sure if it takes two hands to drink water he doesn't style his own hair.

Yep that sure was horrible and completely the same as this administrations lack leadership in this pandemic. It is so similar to Tulsa and the idiots on our lawn for the RNC.

 

[Taurus]

You know we think the exact same way about your options to lead us, right?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53994209

Except Joe has a plan. He's delineated it several times. He even predicted how Trump would fail us in this crisis.

 

[CoolBrees]

I mean thinking Biden isn’t right for America is one thing.

Thinking he has no plans or is just as unprepared as Trump demonstrates DAILY is another level of eyebrow raising.

The “president” just said there is a plane full of Black shirt “thugs” on its way to....? They are releasing obviously doctored video at the regular trying to make an equivalency to Trump’s obvious dimentia. He says to inject bleach. He thought planes were in the revolutionary war. And finally: “Person, Man, Woman, Camera, TV”

 

[Taurus]

The "Thugs on a plane" bit is just too stupid for words. Like all these intimidating goons with their "gear" got past TSA? The same TSA who'll make you throw out a jar of marmalade if it's over 2 ounces? Suuuure, Donny. Tell us another one.