All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (15 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?

 

[Heathen]

USA USA! :/

 

[superchuck500]

Expecting governors to grovel to him - and now wanting his name on the checks, he seriously thinks the federal government and the federal fisc belongs to him.

 

[Lapaz]

Trump did back off of Easter Sunday return to normalcy. It has been extended to the end of April.

I know Trump just backed off today, but he's a slow learner. The countries that have gotten it under control kept isolation measures in place for 6 to 8 weeks, so it was dumb to throw out a 2 1/2 week isolation period as sufficient. He was slow to start taking action, and was slow to realize that the actions he had taken were inadequate. He's not alone, because several European countries were slow as well, but we have an advantage due to the isolation of the oceans and the vast land mass that gives us inherent separation, yet we seem to have squandered those advantages. We're on track to be the worst affected nation in the world, and it's not a good metric to be first on. An iota of competency would've prevented that.

 

[SaintForLife]

I hope all these Senators and Congressmen can face some kind of legal consequences, but I'm very skeptical they will.

 

[SaintForLife]

China's cover up is nefarious. With as large as their population is and the amount of people who live in apartments and in close proximity to each other, they should have way higher numbers. I've been playing with a data model at work to correlate confirmed cases with an impact to our business. You look at all the countries growths and China's doesn't match the pattern. Even during the peak it is questionable. Using how it impacted New York, I would put it closer to half a million cases in China.

We still have many in the media pushing Chinese propaganda without even questioning if China is lying.

 

[SaintForLife]

I know Trump just backed off today, but he's a slow learner. The countries that have gotten it under control kept isolation measures in place for 6 to 8 weeks, so it was dumb to throw out a 2 1/2 week isolation period as sufficient. He was slow to start taking action, and was slow to realize that the actions he had taken were inadequate. He's not alone, because several European countries were slow as well, but we have an advantage due to the isolation of the oceans and the vast land mass that gives us inherent separation, yet we seem to have squandered those advantages. We're on track to be the worst affected nation in the world, and it's not a good metric to be first on. An iota of competency would've prevented that.

Easter was never a firm deadline. Trump said he hoped we could be open by Easter. He shouldn't have said that, but let's not act like he said it would happen.



We can't say that we are on track to have the most cases because China is lying and suppressing their cases and deaths. Another one of their Doctors in Wuhan that sounded the alarm publicly about China supressing information just went missing.

 

[Lapaz]

Easter was never a firm deadline. Trump said he hoped we could be open by Easter. He shouldn't have said that, but let's not act like he said it would happen.



We can't say that we are on track to have the most cases because China is lying and suppressing their cases and deaths. Another one of their Doctors in Wuhan that sounded the alarm publicly about China supressing information just went missing.

Whether China is lying or not, we're on track to be hit worse than every other nation based on known data. If they're lying, then they must have an abundance of doctors and equipment to share with other nations. It would be the height of duplicity if they actually have a virus spreading while sending out life saving equipment and personel. I have my doubts that even China would do that to gain some type of publicity.

 

[Beach Friends]

Whether China is lying or not, we're on track to be hit worse than every other nation based on known data. If they're lying, then they must have an abundance of doctors and equipment to share with other nations. It would be the height of duplicity if they actually have a virus spreading while sending out life saving equipment and personel. I have my doubts that even China would do that to gain some type of publicity.

Before you read too much into China selling supplies, keep in mind:

Some of the supplies they have sent have been rejected because they were defective. Other supplies probably should have been for that same reason.

They did have at least one cargo ship with supplies that they turned around to keep for themselves.

China doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to caring for the health and welfare of its population. I wouldn't put it past them to calculate that a bullet to the head of a patient is cheaper than treatment.

China is a bad actor and hopefully this crisis serves as a huge wake up call for the rest of the world.

 

[Beach Friends]

And here is Rachel Maddow proving our President is exceeding expectations:

 

[Lapaz]

Before you read too much into China selling supplies, keep in mind:

Some of the supplies they have sent have been rejected because they were defective. Other supplies probably should have been for that same reason.

They did have at least one cargo ship with supplies that they turned around to keep for themselves.

China doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to caring for the health and welfare of its population. I wouldn't put it past them to calculate that a bullet to the head of a patient is cheaper than treatment.

China is a bad actor and hopefully this crisis serves as a huge wake up call for the rest of the world.

Let's say some of their supplies were defective, that still means that some of their supplies were not, so it could've been used by their people. They are bad actors, so we don't even have to rely on China's data to know that there are ways to restrict the spread of the virus. South Korea is a good example to emulate. Singapore has done phenomenally, and it is an even better country to emulate. Hong Kong and Taiwan have done well. Even the Diamond Princess cruise line is instructive, since its death rate is only 1.5%.

How Singapore And South Korea Deal With Coronavirus Quarantine Measures

Singapore is open for business. But good luck traveling there. South Korea found a close knit cluster, and tested like mad.

www.forbes.com

Singapore is taking precautions, but they're living an almost normal life. Their main lesson is vast testing. All people with flu symptoms are tested and anyone who they've been in contact with. They require only certain people to quarantine. Singapore only has reported 3 deaths! Our test rules have been a mess all along. Too many people with flu symptoms are not being tested after receiving negative flu results.

 

[Heathen]

Amazon, Instacart Grocery Delivery Workers Demand Coronavirus Protection And Pay

Some Amazon workers in New York and Instacart workers nationwide walked off their jobs Monday. They want more access to paid sick leave as well as protective gear and other safety measures.

www.npr.org

 

[SystemShock]

Easter was never a firm deadline. Trump said he hoped we could be open by Easter. He shouldn't have said that, but let's not act like he said it would happen.

To be fair, even when he's on audio and video saying something, it is really hard to determine when Trump is saying what, without the super secret decoder ring.

 

[Beach Friends]

Let's say some of their supplies were defective, that still means that some of their supplies were not, so it could've been used by their people. They are bad actors, so we don't even have to rely on China's data to know that there are ways to restrict the spread of the virus. South Korea is a good example to emulate. Singapore has done phenomenally, and it is an even better country to emulate. Hong Kong and Taiwan have done well. Even the Diamond Princess cruise line is instructive, since its death rate is only 1.5%.

How Singapore And South Korea Deal With Coronavirus Quarantine Measures

Singapore is open for business. But good luck traveling there. South Korea found a close knit cluster, and tested like mad.

www.forbes.com

Singapore is taking precautions, but they're living an almost normal life. Their main lesson is vast testing. All people with flu symptoms are tested and anyone who they've been in contact with. They require only certain people to quarantine. Singapore only has reported 3 deaths! Our test rules have been a mess all along. Too many people with flu symptoms are not being tested after receiving negative flu results.

There is no doubt testing has been screwed up. The good news is that Abbot Laboratories has a 5-15 minute test that they are going to produce in quantities of 50k a day beginning April 1. They also have a 24 hour test that they are producing in much larger quantities. Other companies are producing tests as well.

There is also an antibody test that is in production.

So whatever the problems were in the beginning, our private industry has now responded and we are going to be doing very well.

I watched an interview with South Korea's top epidemiologist so I am not at all against us learning from other nations. China is not, however, one of the nations we should be applauding. Any suggestion that we should is ignorant.

BTW, the South Korean physician pointed out a number of factors that account for the differences in how the virus has impacted different nations. He specifically stated that there are cultural differences betweens Asian countries and Western countries that make public compliance more challenging on the West.

Earlier today I saw a video of people having a block party in NOLA. Supposedly it was filmed two days ago. I have no idea what they thought they were celebrating, but they were all around each other. Hopefully none of those people become infected, but the conditions for exposure were high.

 

[SaintForLife]

I don't know, but I'd bet $100 they were.

Not a democrat on earth who would eat fish tank cleaner because Trump said to.

You game?

Do I get the $100 since I found the article? I take Venmo or PayPal.

Woman Who Ingested Fish Tank Cleaner Was Prolific Donor to Democratic Causes

The Arizona woman who said that she and her 68-year-old husband ingested a substance used to clean fish tanks after hearing President Donald Trump touted it as a cure for the coronavirus has given thousands of dollars to Democratic groups and candidates over the last two years.

freebeacon.com

 

[Lapaz]

There is no doubt testing has been screwed up. The good news is that Abbot Laboratories has a 5-15 minute test that they are going to produce in quantities of 50k a day beginning April 1. They also have a 24 hour test that they are producing in much larger quantities. Other companies are producing tests as well.

There is also an antibody test that is in production.

So whatever the problems were in the beginning, our private industry has now responded and we are going to be doing very well.

I watched an interview with South Korea's top epidemiologist so I am not at all against us learning from other nations. China is not, however, one of the nations we should be applauding. Any suggestion that we should is ignorant.

BTW, the South Korean physician pointed out a number of factors that account for the differences in how the virus has impacted different nations. He specifically stated that there are cultural differences betweens Asian countries and Western countries that make public compliance more challenging on the West.

Earlier today I saw a video of people having a block party in NOLA. Supposedly it was filmed two days ago. I have no idea what they thought they were celebrating, but they were all around each other. Hopefully none of those people become infected, but the conditions for exposure were high.

Thankfully we're on our way to catching up with testing, but Trump will do something else to muck things up. Also, I wasn't applauding China, but it is also ignorant to not learn from every country, including China. Their actions seem to have controlled the virus, and most countries that have it under control used similar, though somewhat less draconian measures. Almost nothing in life is binary good or bad, except Trump.

 

[Optimus Prime]

It’s no secret that President Trump resents tough questions but loves the ones that flatter — and Sunday’s coronavirus briefing offered perfect examples of both.


One reporter’s was so nice, she got to ask it twice. The other’s was so “threatening,” in Trump’s words, that he responded with an attempt at personal ridicule and then shut her down.


Not surprisingly, the flattering question came from Jenn Pellegrino of One America News Network, a right-wing channel favored by the president.

“Mr. President, your approval ratings have been the highest they’ve ever been, as well as the ratings on your handling of the virus,” she said, “yet there are some networks that are saying they’re debating whether or not to carry these briefings live. Do you think there’s a link between the two?”


“Boy that’s a nice question,” Trump said in response. “Thank you very much.”.......

In between Pellegrino’s questions, Trump called on PBS NewsHour reporter Yamiche Alcindor.
“Mr. President, I have two questions,” she said.

“The first is you’ve said repeatedly that you think that some of the equipment that governors are requesting they don’t actually need. You said New York might not need 30,000 …”

Trump didn’t let her finish.
“I didn’t say that,” he said.


“You said it on Sean Hannity’s Fox News,” Alcindor responded, accurately. 


“Come on, come on. Why don’t you people — why don’t you act in a little more positive? It’s always ‘get ya, get ya, get ya.’ And you know what? That’s why nobody trusts the media anymore.”..........

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/30/coronavirus-yamiche-alcindor-trump/

 

[Beach Friends]

The following article describes how in late February Nancy Pelosi encouraged people to come on down and join the crowds in San Francisco's Chinatown. And Democratic leaders pulled similar stunts in New York. And in Italy, officials encouraged their citizens to go out and hug Chinese people. Because, you know, to do otherwise would be racist.

In Late February, Nancy Pelosi Encouraged Large Groups to Congregate in Chinatown

Yet blamed Trump's early

summit.news

 

[FullMonte]

Great moment today....

Trump: "I know South Korea better than anybody." "You know how many people are in Seoul? 38 million."

Actual population of Seoul: 9.78 million.