Covid-19: Should We Die to Save Wall Street?
From the headquarters of Make America Sane Again
Our Economy is Something to Die For
Does Your Majesty know what "pandemic" means?
For a stable genius, President Trump seems mighty confused about our latest national crisis. He started out saying the 15 people who were sick would soon recover and we could all wag our tails and go home. He kept putting off thinking about the pandemic, and of course, he did even less to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
Now, we are facing a situation that is much more dangerous than it had to be, and the King is still as confused about the situation as ever.
Not only has he done nothing to protect us since he was made aware of the potential danger of COVID-19 in early January, 2020, He is determined that things must go back to normal no later than the day after Easter, despite his advisors insistence that many people will sicken and die if quarantine restrictions are lifted too soon.
You've known about this since January Third, right?
- Intelligence reports warned about a coronavirus pandemic in January. Trump reportedly ignored them.
As Trump reportedly received intelligence reports about the seriousness of the coronavirus threat, he continued to downplay its severity in public.
Vacation's over! Get back to work!
- Trump wants U.S. economy ‘opened up and raring to go’ by Easter - The Washington Post
Push to lift restrictions meets swift pushback. ”We save our economy by first saving lives. And we have to do it in that order,” one Republican governor said Tuesday.
What are a few dead old people compared to a good economy?
We still don't have any idea who has COVID-19. Some people have had tests. However, most of us have not had access to any diagnosis. Why not, you might ask.
Dr. Trump was so sure that he knew better than his medical advisers about the spread of the virus that he took no action to have tests made available. He also neglected to provide the funds to hospitals, doctors, and nurses for the masks, gloves, medicines, and ventilators they would need to treat the victims of Corona.
He had the power to do these things. No one, including us, die-hard never-Trumpers would have questioned a well-placed executive order, even from a president who has consistently abused the privilege. Trump had the power to make this order according to the "Defense Production Act."
The "Defense Production Act", empowers our chief executive to order manufacturers to produce needed supplies during times of national peril. Trump didn't want Wall Street to panic, so he did not order factories to make the masks, gloves, gowns, and ventilators that are now in woefully short supply.
At first, Trump said he was invoking the act. Then, for reasons known only to him, he declared that the federal government was "not a shipping clerk" and that the states were responsible for their own darn citizens.
He willingly gambled our lives on his ill-founded opinion that the virus was no worse than the common cold. He chose not to act, even though he had daily intelligence reports that warned him about the coming pandemic. Sources close to him (possibly less than 6 feet away) said he rarely listens to or reads reports. So, we now know that many more people have become sick and died because of the King's self-obsession and laziness.
You don't know if you have it because you can't get tested
- What Went Wrong with Coronavirus Testing in the U.S. | The New Yorker
During three crucial weeks in February, as a first set of test kits sent out by the C.D.C. failed to work properly, labs across the country scrambled to fill the void.
If your state can't save you, no one will!
- 'Ordering a lot of supplies' vs. 'Not a shipping clerk': Trump&#
Donald Trump keeps changing his story on what’s going on with the coronavirus and his administration’s response to it. His overblown claim about the number of tests available and how quickly a vaccine will be available or a promising medication...
No kidding Mr. Trump, COVID-19 is awful dangerous
If the virus doesn't get us, greed and selfishness will
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. — Socrates
There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontent. And there is no greater disaster than greed. — Lau Tzu
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money. — Benjamin Franklin
All the money you make will never buy back your soul. — Bob Dylan
Get yours while no one's looking
Greed is an unfortunate aspect of human nature. We all want the best money can buy. It isn't the desire to have things that's bad. It's what length people go to fulfill their wants that is hurtful to the rest of us.
Our representatives are in a unique position to learn things before the public does. Morality, not to mention federal law, dictates that they would not profit from that knowledge at the expense of other Americans. However, to a few of our representatives, self-interest trumps public service.
Donald J. Trump dished out campaign contributions to anyone who voted to acquit him in his impeachment "trial." Now, we are in the middle of an international pandemic, and greed again is rearing its ugly head.
At least four senators sold their stock holdings after being briefed on COVID-19's probable effect on the stock market. All swore they didn't take advantage of insider information. If they're telling the truth, they were a hell of a lot luckier than most American investors. It's hard to believe that they just happened to sell off their stocks in the usual course of business at such an advantageous moment.
First, the King bought his own acquittal
- Senators overseeing impeachment trial got campaign cash from Trump legal team members
Trump impeachment defense team members Ken Starr and Robert Ray gave large campaign contributions to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last year.
Gee, thanks for the warning, Uncle Mitch
- Four senators sold stocks before coronavirus threat crashed market | The Hill
Four senators sold stocks shortly after a January briefing in the Senate on the novel coronavirus outbreak, unloading shares that plummeted in value a month later as the stock market crashed in the face of a global pandemic.
Rand Paul: The gift that keeps on giving
Selfishness is also a problem in the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe the spring breakers who were willing to take the risk and continue partying can be forgiven their stupidity. After all, if there is one thing the young have in common, it's the certainty that tragedy is reserved for the other guy.
But should a fully grown senator be excused from intentionally exposing others to the virus? Rand Paul, Republican from Kentucky, didn't care who he infected. Although he suspected that he had been exposed to COVID-19, he continued to attend meetings and luncheons for six days before his positive test came back. He doesn't have symptoms as of this writing, but that doesn't mean he won't get sick. More to the point, the people who have shared space with him may not be so lucky. There are a lot of older folks in the senate, and thanks to Rand's generosity, they soon could be battling for their lives.
Is it just me, or is Florida really hot this year?
But, (cough! cough!) I didn't have any symptoms
- The Recklessness of Rand Paul, Coronavirus Patient - The Atlantic
The senator from Kentucky was worried enough to get tested. But while he waited for the results, he kept going to work, the gym, and the pool.
Is it my civic duty to get COVID-19 and die?
Of course, no survey of the stupid things our public officials have done since the coronavirus disaster would be complete without Dan Patrick's contribution to the public discussion. It seems that the Lt. Governor of Texas thinks we people over 65 should be willing to take our chances with the virus to save the economy. Well, Dan, thanks for asking, but I don't feel any obligation to give my life for Wall Street.
No thanks, I already gave at the office
- Texas Lt. Governor: Old people should volunteer to die to save the economy | Vanity Fair
According to Dan Patrick “lots of grandparents” are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause.
Why does everybody pick on Daddy?
With love from Pumpkin Head, Jr.
If the King's stupidity about COVID-19 isn't enough, just look at what Pumpkin Head, Jr. offered to the dialogue. It was his opinion that Democrats wanted to see a million or so people die of the virus because they are so anxious to end Daddy's winning streak.
I have two responses to this idiocy. First of all, Donny, Jr. your daddy's winning streak is a figment of his imagination. He is a xenophobic bully, and the sooner he stops "winning" the better off we'll all be.
Second: your daddy, your sister, brother-in-law, you and your brother, Eric, are the only ones who are obsessed with the Trump brand. The rest of us actually care about our fellow humans, be they Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Communists, Socialists, Green Peacers or just too young to vote. Except for your family and friends, we’re all in this together.
They want to end your Daddy's what?
I'm not scared of dying, but I'm not in any hurry
Happy Easter from the King
Comments
Hi, Ken: That's fair. I'll watch a news conference. I am always interested in new sources of info, because I agree there is a lot of propaganda afoot. I am especially interested inany success that China or anyone else has had in using the drug trump is pushing as a cure. I don't watch TV, which is why I haven't watched a news conference. I get my information from many on-line sources, and, as I said, I do like to read what both sides say.
Lucille,
Perhaps you should take the time to watch one of his press conferences then, rather than relying on the "news" to break it down to you, FOX is little better than CNN, neither provides much accuracy or detail to what is actually provided in those briefings.
Also, Trump does not own any stock in the companies making hydroxychloroquine, more importantly, countries like France and China are using the drug to combat COVID-19... and in all honesty America looks rather foolish in this crisis for not using it more aggressively.
There isn't much else that I can say, other than suggest to you that you do your own research, take the time to find facts for yourself.
What you are being fed by sources like CNN, MSNBC, and even FOX is all garbage, meant to entertain as much as to keep you ignorant. Even the likes of the NYTimes is nothing more than gossip rag these days, there is no integrity and less honesty in "news" today.
Hi, Ken" I don't mean to indicate that there isn't plenty of blame to go around in Washington. However, Trump and McConnell have been dangerously corrupt since Trump took office. They have known about the pandemic since November, and had plenty of time to prepare for it. I agree that government intrusiveness is scary. I just believe it wouldn't have been necessary if Trump and his cronies had mounted an early educational effort to tell us what could happen if we didn't take precautions in the beginning. Instead, Trump characterized the potential damage the virus would do as a hoax, and just another attempt to bring him down. I don't watch his press conferences because there is so much information about what is going on that I don't find listening to politicians to be that interesting or helpful. However, what I have gleaned from the coverage on both extremes, is that Trump spends a good part of his TV time praising himself and campaigning, and that he does cut people off rudely. He hates the press, and is insulting and demeaning to reporters. He hires and fires people on a whim, which has created chaos in the white House, and the country. He should have been convicted, but Mitch McConnell knew Trump would be thrown out of office if evidence was fully and fairly presented. A nepotist who hires his family to run the country, who as filed bankruptcy 6 times, who passes tax breaks to benefit his billionaire buddies, and who is promoting a medicine that has not been proven effective against COVID-19, just because he owns stock in the company is a dangerous human being who never should have been put at the helm of the ship of state. By the way, I am grateful to you for having a civil discussion about this situation. I have a neighbor who thinks it is fine for Trump to withhold aid from states whose governments don't kiss his bum. I respect your viewpoint, but Trump and his cronies don't respect anyone who disagrees with them, and that is why the country is so divided.
Lucille,
I can't speak for all press conferences, I will only speak to the one I did watch. For Trump, he was reserved and articulate, stayed on point, and allowed the experts to step forward and answer the questions when asked.
For an hour and a half I watched, he offered hope that medicine world work, hope that people could get back to work soon, facing a terrible pandemic he remained poised (for him) and did his best to make his message a positive one for the future, while serious about the levity of the situation at hand.
What comes from reporters of CNN and MSNBC is nothing but instigative and argumentative questioning, it is clear that even in this crisis, the likes of Pelosi, Schiff, Schumer, and the leftwing media cannot put a pause on their efforts to denigrate the President and disinform the populace with every chance they have.
The President is balancing the protection of our freedoms and liberty, with combating the virus as seems necessary... the information changes daily, the experts advice changes frequently based on new information and no one has all the answers.
If you are looking for politicians to blame, look to De Blasio, Cuomo, and their respective counterparts in CA and WA... when the President was restricting travel, when the Feds were sending warnings to the States, it was these politicians that were saying there is nothing to worry about, go have your parades and parties, and calling the President xenophobic and racist for his actions.
Just google back to early Feb, just days after Trump's travel ban, to see that they were saying. Its all there for those who want to find it.
Hi, Ken: Farming is a socially distancing activity by nature, so that is no reason for planting not to go forward. Harvesting takes place late in the summer, and by then, many of the restrictions we are under should be lightened. This doesn't mean your concern isn't valid. Unfortunately, Trump was so slow to act to protect us when he was warned in January that the pandemic was a reality. If he had acted then instead of labeling COVID-19 a Democratic hoax, he could have nipped it in the bud and saved us all a lot of grief. Now, all age groups, including children are dying, hospitals are at their breaking point, and our fearless leader dismisses everything that he doesn't like as fake news. He doesn't seem to understand that if people are afraid to go to work, the economy will crash anyway. He is more concerned about the stock market than he is about you and me.
I'm sorry you feel that Trump is willing to sacrifice 'old people'.
In fact, the dangers of continuing to not allow people to go back to work are far more long lasting, and will be the death of far more 'old people' than the virus could be.
We already have major disruption in the food distribution chain, we already have slaughter houses being shut down, and packaging plants being shut down. If this continues, there will be no more meat, milk or eggs in the marketplace.
Same for vegetables and fruits, if no one is harvesting them, and no one is packaging them, there will be no more fresh produce in the marketplace.
When people don't have food, they will start banding together in weaponized groups and stealing food from where-ever it is available, retirement homes and hospitals will be on the top of their list, as they have large quantities of medicines and food on hand.
If you don't believe such things can happen in America, you are sadly mistaken, and if this work stoppage continues, you will be finding out in a few weeks just how wrong you are.
- AUTHOR
Trump has extended the social distancing order until April 30, but he had to be pressured into it.
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