All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (4 Viewers)

[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?

 

[SFIDC3]

I was with you until the email reference. When did I mention those? You think that my disdain and disgust for her is pertaining to her emails? Lol.
I couldn’t care less about her ‘OMG’ emails.

Apologies, that wasn't necessarily directed at you...I should have stated that...

 

[Humperdoo]

Apologies, that wasn't necessarily directed at you...I should have stated that...

No worries. I’m quite used to having labels and such thrown at me. They don’t stick.

 

[Humperdoo]

"Elites vs. non-elites" means what exactly?

And how does each major party favor one over the other, in your opinion?

?
It is quite simple. In my opinion none of them (high ranking officials) care about you, or me. Period. It’s always a lesser of the evils, for me. And while I respect everyone’s right to believe what they will, I think that anyone who doesn’t see this is either being willfully ignorant or has an IQ smaller than their shoe size. And that’s cool. Believe what you will. I’ll do the same.

 

[Humperdoo]

I'd like to ask you a question if you don't mind. How could this administration's response and continued non-action at the most needed times be worst? What would the trump administration need to do at this point to make it worst than what it is? Trump has lied from the start and the entire response has made the United States response look like it's being led by a mentally deficient goat. Can you list the things that would make this worst? Because after you list them, if you can honestly tell me that you think Clinton would have done the same things that trump has done so far and then would continue to do the things you feel would make it worst, I don't think there's much more to say on it.

It's not to try to put you on the spot it's just that there is very little else that trump could do to make this worst than what it currently is and I would believe you were able to divide by 0 before I would believe that Clinton would do the same things trump did and then do whatever things you list.

I'm not asking trump to find the vaccine or cure for coronavirus. I just want him to do 3 things:
1. Stop exaggerating and lying (impossible for him not to lie)
2. Give the states what they are asking for
3. Listen to and do what the experts are suggesting.
I'd be willing to accept 2 of the 3 because #1 won't happen.

I have no idea whether Hillary and her admin would handle this more efficiently/effectively.
And I’m not saying that as a smart arse.
I am not a Trump fan. I happen to dislike him less than Hillary and the other prominent Dems.
I am not a Socialist, and there is no Democratic Party anymore imo. So I’m ‘left’ (pun) with Trump.

I’ve not spoken one time on how he and his admin have handled this.
Also as an aside, I would not want to be the POTUS. Wake up and every problem on the planet is yours. Unenviable no matter who’s in office imo.

 

[Humperdoo]

You're wasting your time. The only response you'll get is the same regurgitated nonsense about elites vs non elites, mysterious deaths, and sheep: thinking one isn't one when he's actually the textbook definition.

Only one side spouts regurgitated nonsense? Lol.
Hang on, do me a favor and send me a print out of how I need to think and feel so I can join your herd.
Thanks

 

[Humperdoo]

"Elites vs. non-elites" means what exactly?

And how does each major party favor one over the other, in your opinion?

I found out that it’s just regurgitated nonsense.
I’ll be shushing now and attempting to assimilate with the flock. Thanks for opening my eyes lurk.

 

[SFIDC3]

I have no idea whether Hillary and her admin would handle this more efficiently/effectively.
And I’m not saying that as a smart arse.
I am not a Trump fan. I happen to dislike him less than Hillary and the other prominent Dems.
I am not a Socialist, and there is no Democratic Party anymore imo. So I’m ‘left’ (pun) with Trump.

I’ve not spoken one time on how he and his admin have handled this.
Also as an aside, I would not want to be the POTUS. Wake up and every problem on the planet is yours. Unenviable no matter who’s in office imo.

So you don't think having a pandemic team in place that was formed to deal with just this kind of disease would make a difference? Interesting....not following....

 

[Dadsdream]

The "B" in "NBC" stands for the Biological component of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare.
So long as there was a Soviet threat, we stockpiled and maintained an enormous amount of equipment dedicated toward countering a biological threat on a strategic level.
For decades, the greatest fear for a pandemic was a Soviet-engineered contagion, released overtly or covertly to take down our armed forces on a regional or global level.
Once that threat evaporated, there was a huge down-sizing. The demarcation line between biological military threat and response versus civilian pandemic threat and response blurred. We continued cutting back.
The prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan did not include a biological warfare component, except as a perceived terrorist threat which never actually manifested. So, the cutbacks continued.
Even so, as of 2018, the National Strategic Stockpile included over $8 billion worth of equipment. As with any strategic reserve, the concern is that if it's used for an on-going emergency, what happens if an attack occurs?
There have been calls by the media to dip further into these strategic reserves and reassign Active Duty troops to pandemic-related missions.
That's a commander-in-chief call.

https://www.phe.gov/about/sns/Pages/default.aspx

chemm server

 

[dtc]

The "B" in "NBC" stands for the Biological component of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare.
So long as there was a Soviet threat, we stockpiled and maintained an enormous amount of equipment dedicated toward countering a biological threat on a strategic level.
For decades, the greatest fear for a pandemic was a Soviet-engineered contagion, released overtly or covertly to take down our armed forces on a regional or global level.
Once that threat evaporated, there was a huge down-sizing. The demarcation line between biological military threat and response versus civilian pandemic threat and response blurred. We continued cutting back.
The prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan did not include a biological warfare component, except as a perceived terrorist threat which never actually manifested. So, the cutbacks continued.
Even so, as of 2018, the National Strategic Stockpile included over $8 billion worth of equipment. As with any strategic reserve, the concern is that if it's used for an on-going emergency, what happens if an attack occurs?
There have been calls by the media to dip further into these strategic reserves and reassign Active Duty troops to pandemic-related missions.
That's a commander-in-chief call.

https://www.phe.gov/about/sns/Pages/default.aspx

chemm server

But the commander in chief just babbles nonsense and takes no action.

He can't or won't even coherently explain his thoughts or the ongoing strategy. I, despising him and certain that he's both intellectually and emotionally unfit to lead during a time of crisis, maintain it's because he's an ignorant buffoon. Others might argue otherwise, but I've seen no evidence that he has any concept of what he's doing. He's attacking governors and mayors and then when called out on fox or praised, the very actions he's refused come to pass.

He's awash in a rising red tide partly of his own making. His empty administration has no guidance nor a rudder and even the accurate description above stops just short or detailing the warnings he ignored. That said, Congress controls the purse strings. During Obama's administration we depleted a stock of PPE that should have been replaced. That warning was shared early and often in the Trump terms, but to no avail though he, as POTUS, does not write the checks. That's congress's job and they've been derelict.

We used to call it a peace dividend, but what it really is in my mind is a giant exclamation point on why we should never have elected people to run our government who hate government. Anyone who argues government is the enemy should never be in it. Those who find fault with government waste or inefficiency who then say government can't do anything should not be elected to further sabotage it WHILE they're raping and pillaging the spoils on behalf of their benefactors. The other thing that this crisis will show us is that without strong, central government we are screwed. Libertarians can hoot and holler at the top of their lungs about individual freedom and "conservatives" can argue about state's rights, but no state has the power to conscript manpower or companies. No state has the resources alone to fight a war - militarily or a pandemic.

It's time we come to terms with those facts and move forward.

 

[superchuck500]

Ive been trying to avoid this thread, this entire board and anything overtly ‘political’ for the last few days.. and for the most part, I’ve been successful... But i just have to chime in here , not specific to the President conferring with the great public health expert A-Rod, but just in general: Trump is committing dereliction of duty... All of it, his whole non-response, is the most clear case of dereliction of duty I’ve seen in quite some time, maybe ever.

i would love for any of his enablers, er, VOTERS, to chime in as to why Trump’s handing of this crisis is laudable, or even competent... I am all ears.

And how does the tweet strike you? I don’t even know how to express how forked up I think this is

 

[Optimus Prime]

And how does the tweet strike you? I don’t even know how to express how forked up I think this is

I'd say unbelievable, but it's really not

Shows what he's thinking about during this crisis

 

[bdb13]

And how does the tweet strike you? I don’t even know how to express how forked up I think this is

What a forking disgrace.

 

[lurk]

Only one side spouts regurgitated nonsense? Lol.
Hang on, do me a favor and send me a print out of how I need to think and feel so I can join your herd.
Thanks

It's regurgitated because you've posted 50 versions of the exact same post since you arrived here without contributing a single other thing. If you want to discuss your pseudopsychobabble about elites and your inability to move past Hillary Clinton, then start a thread about it. The adults are discussing a virus in this one.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

And how does the tweet strike you? I don’t even know how to express how forked up I think this is

If the virus shutdown doesnt put Saturday Night Live out of business, then Trump will.. because tweets like this are beyond what the likes of SNL, the Onion, etc could conjure up.. it’s almost as if Trump is trying to say to himself ‘How far can i push my BS before they all *finally* realize that i am full of ****, and just making it all up as i go along?’

 

[lurk]

In other news, if our deaths/million were to match Italy's (which is a distinct possibility in the next two-ish weeks), we'd be looking at 58,242 dead.

 

[Dadsdream]

But the commander in chief just babbles nonsense and takes no action.

The reduction in our stockpiles I spoke of occurred under the administrations of three Republican presidents and two Democratic presidents over a span of 30 years. Which one are you talking about?

It's time we come to terms with those facts and move forward.

A president is responsible for what happens on his watch, regardless.
It was not very smart for Trump to say that he took no responsibility.
It was a very poor way to make the point.

 

[Heathen]

Our President is an absolute dumbass.

 

[Lapaz]

You make some interesting points.
As for me, I don’t defend any of them and I don’t toe a party line. It’s elites vs. non elites imo. Always has been always will be.
And I don’t disagree that our leaders left and right, along with the media, have helped to create a frenzy of sheer panic and utter stupidity. Sheep in a herd. Admittedly that’s not hard to do.

Trump’s irresponsible statements about the unproven drugs caused panic buying. What panic have Democratic leaders created?