PLAYPEN: Covid-19 Everything Political

[Craig Lamson]

Yes, but those other things have a different purpose than just killing like guns. I think you are smart enough to know the difference...oh wait...it's Craig, maybe not.

You can use guns for target practice, enjoyment of building and maintaining etc.  There is no difference.  You can use all of those things and not kill people, or you can use them to kill.  I think you are smar...never mind, I know better.

[rabanito]

A simple warning that fascism is coming.

Well the phrase was already used around 1845 (fascism didn't exist at the time) in a document - Geld und Geist (Money and Spirit) - by some German with Serbian (no joke) roots (this just as an aside).

And yes of course, it was repeatedly, cynically and ignominiously misused by the Nazis on the entrance of some KZ's.

[JoeKitchen]

I voted for Trump but still think Trump does dumb things too.  Unlike a parliamentary system, we only get a couple of choices.  His cavalier attitude about debt from his years as a real estate developer who live on debt and leverage, has made a mockery of fiscal responsibility, one of the hallmarks of Republicanism, conservatism, capitalism, and a few other isms. The Congress has thrown all in with printing so fearful they are of being thrown out of office.  96-0 senate vote for the CARES act.  CARES?  They don't care about anything except getting re-elected.  You have heard me here before talking about it.  So on that issue I think we agree.

But shutting down business at the same time giving those business money to pay salaries doesn't make sense.  IF you own a restaurant let's say, and you rehire all your staff, who's coming to your place to eat anyway?  Let's say local ordinances allow you to open the restaurant so half the people can fill up to keep space between the patrons.  Well, why does he need all those workers than?  How is he going to pay all his other bills for rent, electricity, etc.?  He might as well just shut down which is what is going to happen.  So the smart thing for the government to do, is let the chips fall where they might.  A lot of business should fail.  That's how free markets work.  It improves the remaining ones and allows employees to move from less successful to more successful businesses where they can be more productive and earn more.  That strengthens the country.  Use unemployment insurance for those out of work until they can find new employment.  Don’t spend good money after bad money for failing businesses.  That's just stupid.

Also, companies in business now who are working are getting a gift from the government.  If the government pays let's say $1000 a week for 200 employees times 8 weeks, that's $1.6 million in additional "income" that goes to the bottom line.  The owner sticks that money in his pocket.  After all, profits belong to him not the employees.  They would have gotten their salaries anyway.  So now the owner saves their salaries and pays them with government money. So why are we the taxpayers giving rich owners $1.6 million in additional income when their business never closed during the virus?  Whats the sense in that?  That's just plain dumb.  This is what Mnuchin figured out?  Of course, it's all being done because of the election.  Trump wants to win as do all the other losers in Washington who care little about our money.

This is what our liberal friends here don't realize, propping up businesses that are now doom for failure given the new economic situation does nothing but extend the recession into a depression.  FDR did the same thing in the 1930sand he created the Great Depression because of it.  Yes, FDR was responsible for turning the recession into a Depression by his stupid policies. 

I say we pay people while this lock down continues, since it is the fault of the government unlike past recessions, but as soon as we open up pull away all government help and allow a realignment to happen sooner rather then later.  It is going to happen anyway and the faster the better.

[JoeKitchen]

People are coming out of the woodwork over this. 

AP report: Two more sources corroborate Tara Reade's allegations

Keep on dreaming! 

[chez]

You can use guns for target practice, enjoyment of building and maintaining etc.  There is no difference.  You can use all of those things and not kill people, or you can use them to kill.  I think you are smar...never mind, I know better.

Truly stretching it Craig...but then again I've come to expect no less from you. Total Trumpism thinking...brain washed and incapable of self thought. Yep, a mixmaster can kill as well...probably the number one choice of weapon.

Logic flys out the window.

[chez]

I say we pay people while this lock down continues, since it is the fault of the government unlike past recessions, but as soon as we open up pull away all government help and allow a realignment to happen sooner rather then later.  It is going to happen anyway and the faster the better.

As long as it's done smartly until we have a vaccine. Some businesses need to be modified in order to keep everyone safe. The meat processing plants were a bad example of opening up...now with some simple modifications, they appear ready to try again.

Opening up without proper precautions can lead to another resurgence and another lockdown...or just a bunch of scared people saying it's not worth risking my life for $10/hour.

[Chris Kern]

The Constitution of the United States grants in the second amendment the right to bear a weapon to defend oneself and home and kill people including politicians in particular who try to take way your liberties.

The first clause of this sentence is essentially correct.  The second is one of the most idiotic comments you have made in this thread―although, to be sure, there is plenty of competition.

[Alan Klein]

The first clause of this sentence is essentially correct.  The second is one of the most idiotic comments you have made in this thread―although, to be sure, there is plenty of competition.

What's idiotic is allowing the government to take away your last defense against tyranny. Then, only the tyrant has the guns. Then you'll be like the Chinese guy  in Tiananmen Square using only his body against the tanks.  It's idiotic to allow our freedom to be protected that way.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Slobo...do you know what the f'ck your are talking about here? Any idea what Canada is doing....

What makes you think I was talking about Canada!? Nothing in your post I was quoting says Canada. I couldn’t care less about Canada. We were talking about 30 million unemployed Americans, just about the WHOLE population of Canada.

When I was on unemployment, I got about 16% of my salary and nothing else.

[chez]

What makes you think I was talking about Canada!? Nothing in your post I was quoting says Canada. I couldn’t care less about Canada. We were talking about 30 million unemployed Americans, just about the WHOLE population of Canada.

When I was on unemployment, I got about 16% of my salary and nothing else.

That’s the good old USA...got your back until it actually has to do anything. This from the richest nation. I can see why you had to move out of the USA in order to survive. Shame...now you sit in a foreign land defending the country you ran away from.

[JoeKitchen]

As long as it's done smartly until we have a vaccine. Some businesses need to be modified in order to keep everyone safe. The meat processing plants were a bad example of opening up...now with some simple modifications, they appear ready to try again.

Opening up without proper precautions can lead to another resurgence and another lockdown...or just a bunch of scared people saying it's not worth risking my life for $10/hour.

I’ll agree with this but I think overall change in mentality will be more of an issue then govt mandated edicts. 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I’ll agree with this but I think overall change in mentality will be more of an issue then govt mandated edicts.

Why is that? Are people stupid, selfish, indifferent, generally opposed to authority ...?

But, either getting or spreading, a life-threatening condition for which there is no cure (not talking about injecting oneself with bleach ...)?

[chez]

I’ll agree with this but I think overall change in mentality will be more of an issue then govt mandated edicts.

I'll tell you this, a good leadership team that provides a consistent reassuring message to the people goes a long way to change people's mentality.

[Alan Klein]

This is what our liberal friends here don't realize, propping up businesses that are now doom for failure given the new economic situation does nothing but extend the recession into a depression.  FDR did the same thing in the 1930sand he created the Great Depression because of it.  Yes, FDR was responsible for turning the recession into a Depression by his stupid policies. 

I say we pay people while this lock down continues, since it is the fault of the government unlike past recessions, but as soon as we open up pull away all government help and allow a realignment to happen sooner rather then later.  It is going to happen anyway and the faster the better.

Absolutely.  It's going to make it worse because we're wasting precious resources that we're going to need to rebuild.  It's like tapping out your credit card and then figuring you'll get another one to pay off the monthly minimum on the first one plus have a little extra to charge even more.  At the end of the month you have two banks coming after your salary.

[Alan Klein]

Why is that? Are people stupid, selfish, indifferent, generally opposed to authority ...?

But, either getting or spreading, a life-threatening condition for which there is no cure (not talking about injecting oneself with bleach ...)?

You know I'm 75 and in the risk category.  I've been hiding out at home for weeks.  But I went out today for a nice walk. It was a beautiful spring day. No mask or gloves.  There was no one out except me.  It was great. I thought that this is really crazy.  Is this how I'm going to live the rest of my life?  Then I thought, I really want a pizza.  I wanted to go to my favorite pizza parlor and sit down and just enjoy a couple of slices and a Coke.  And leave me alone.   MAybe I can sit outside in the sun.  Maybe they won't put their infected scrubby hands all over the crust.  I could wear gloves when holding the slice.  But what about my lips?  Who lives this way?

I think with the opening up, more people are going to get cabin fever and just chuck the whole thing.  Unless we get sudden deaths again.  Anyway, it's May 4th in two days.

[John Camp]

Absolutely.  It's going to make it worse because we're wasting precious resources that we're going to need to rebuild.  It's like tapping out your credit card and then figuring you'll get another one to pay off the monthly minimum on the first one plus have a little extra to charge even more.  At the end of the month you have two banks coming after your salary.

Alan, here's something for you:

According to Statistica, "Foreign holders of United States treasury debt:
Of the total $6.63 trillion held by foreign countries, Mainland China and Japan held the greatest portions."

If anyone gets screwed, it's going to be countries you don't even like.

[John Camp]

I think with the opening up, more people are going to get cabin fever and just chuck the whole thing.  Unless we get sudden deaths again.  Anyway, it's May 4th in two days.

I think you're absolutely correct. And then a lot more people like you are going to die unnecessarily.

[John Camp]

And another news clip:

The state of Maryland on Saturday terminated a $12.5 million contract for personal protective equipment with a firm started this spring by two well-connected Republican operatives.
State officials said the company, Blue Flame Medical, failed to deliver masks and ventilators as promised and that the matter has been referred to Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) for review.
Blue Flame received a down payment of nearly $6.3 million from Maryland in early April — after promising to provide within weeks desperately needed PPE for front-line medical personnel dealing with the novel coronavirus.
Ethan Bearman, the Los Angeles attorney for Blue Flame, said Saturday he was unaware the state was unhappy with the firm.
<snip>
The Wall Street Journal first reported the contract’s cancellation Saturday.
Blue Flame was started in late March by Michael Gula, a Republican fundraising and lobbying consultant in Washington, and John Thomas, a California political consultant.

[Alan Klein]

Alan, here's something for you:

According to Statistica, "Foreign holders of United States treasury debt:
Of the total $6.63 trillion held by foreign countries, Mainland China and Japan held the greatest portions."

If anyone gets screwed, it's going to be countries you don't even like.

We're no dummies, us Americans.  We buy all this great stuff from China, Japan and other countries for a song and give them paper.  Bonds. Dollars. You can't do anything with them.  When Bonds mature, we'll give you greenbacks which by then will be worthless.  So what about the greenbacks they got now?  Well, the longer they hold it, the less it's worth.  They could send it back to us to buy our stuff.  Otherwise it has no value.  But they better hurry as it's value decreases daily.  The faces of all those CHinese must have dropped when we passed the CARES act printing another 6 trillion dollars and making the dollars they hold even more worthless.  What a deal!  Of course, Americans suffer like the Chinese and Japanese as our dollars are worthless too. Of course, the CHinese and Europeans and everyone get even as they print more of their money.   It's like a race to the bottom to see which currency can become worthless first.   Soon there won't be enough cheese left for a mouse to get a tooth in. 

[Alan Klein]

I think you're absolutely correct. And then a lot more people like you are going to die unnecessarily.

Well I plan to play it safe and continue to hide out.  Fortunately I like to photograph by myself and fish by myself mainly.  So it might work out.  But let's face it.  It's a crap shoot whether you get it or not and up to God if you  survive.  My hope is they'll develop a vaccine and antidote cure soon.  Or it dies out on its own like the seasonal flu.  No one really knows yet.  The experts are divided on this.  They're probably all wrong.