Lots of countries are testing more people per Mill. population than USA. Just look at the statistics:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
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I don’t know if you’re expressing frustration or incredulity, but here’s a big dose of opinion and analysis. It helps a lot to be cynical.
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From the beginning, Trump simply ignored the coronavirus because it didn’t fit his narrative. The virus presented a serious threat to his great economy, his re-election and his legal well-being. As president he is relatively safe from criminal prosecution. Come January, there is likely a world of hurt waiting for him. Principally from the State of New York.
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The administration blew off the WHO tests, claiming they had their own tests. They didn’t have any tests.
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The CDC tests later created were porked by contamination etc.
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The private sector tests have proceeded without guidance from the federal govt.
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Failure to utilize the DPA has resulted in an inability to marshall resources, materials and production in a concerted way.
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Lack of leadership at the federal level has had the result of states competing with one another over resources rather than providing for the welfare of all the people.
Conclusion: a combination of intentional foot-dragging and gross incompetence has resulted in a very feeble response to the crisis. They don’t seem to know how to do it, and they are afraid of the data that would be produced if they did manage to do it.
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They were definitely intentionally ignoring the peril, and minimizing it. Then and now. The problem with the ‘testing argument’ is that too much time has passed. Tests per thousand or per million are irrelevant without a third variable—time. So the current thing is for the President to say, we have done more than any nation including South Korea and Birx will say, that’s right. And she is. But they have had less time involved. Clearly the death rates make clear the impact of a quicker, per capita testing and tracing scheme.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take the VP’s. Remember his visit to the Mayo Clinic and their policy about masks he ignored? Here’s what he said:
“As vice president of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” he said, citing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that indicate wearing a mask can prevent those who have the virus from spreading it unwittingly.“
All of America would appreciate the same conditions to get rid of masks and walk freely. Why does he get to? Massive testing regime. No other conditions. Lesson is clear, testing equals freedom.
To focus on the testing issue in one state:
Washington-state governor Inslee gave his COVID19 report today. Right now the state has the testing capacity to perform 22,000 tests a day. But it can only do 4,000 tests a day because of lack of swabs and testing media.
Now, Inslee says that an official of the federal government promised him the state will see a fourfold increase in the amount of testing materials available, in two weeks. But Inslee also says the state has been promised similar things before, and the federal government has not come through.
He could and should use the DPA to dramatically increase the production of the reagent needed to conduct the analysis of the “tests”.
The tests are plentiful, but tests are worthless unless timely analyzed and the results reported.
The whole testing regime in the US is so fractured that it is nearly meaningless. In a way, testing is like checking people for zits. They might not have one when checked but can get one a couple hours later.
I think we should have a national register of hospital admissions and deaths attributed to the virus. That will give us a valid measure of exactly what is happening where.
May Day, May Day !
When you read this Yahoo Finance article you may understand what is going on behind the Pandemic when most of us are focused on that. Some of the “comments” that follow the article are priceless.
Try to remember Trump owes Deutsche Bank and the National Bank of China fortunes
and hasn’t paid any of it back yet. Perhaps these big bail outs will be funneled into paying some of that off. But Trump is a sitting POTUS and as long as in office…“immune”. (nice some one is) But with Trump in Florida…there is no extradition…unless on a Felony.
I think you’ll like this article.
Trump and McConnell are the biggest big-government Republicans ever
But this has been the trend with the Neo-GOP since Nixon. (although they tell the true believers they are for small government, improved employment, doing away with the welfare state…unless it is welfare for the wealthy, etc etc) Drink the Lysol boys and buy it with you own money.
15 posts were split to a new topic: Covid-19 Testing
Cuomo and Trump will be friends for a day, enemies for a day. This virus stuff is bad, and made worse by the politicians and media throwing logs on the fire. JMHO
President Pine Sol doesn’t like hearing the truth.
We’re set up for a fascinating situation in American politic: a possible revision in the term “Pro-Life".
Pro-Life people opposed abortion on the grounds that all human life is precious (very often convicted murderers are exempted from the list of precious life, as are persons killed in self-defense, or war.)
As we decrease COVID19 precautions, to a greater or lesser degree, thousands will suffer otherwise avoidable deaths.
This may be unfortunately necessary for the common good. But will Pro-Lifers rally to the defense of people who are guilty only of growing old, or of being infirm? Is their life less precious?
Because if a Pro-Lifer says the lives of the old and infirm are less precious than that of the young and the strong, then what they are saying is the concept of life being precious is not absolute. It would be on a sliding scale. Wouldn’t that be what Pro-Choicers have been saying all along?
I’m interested to see how this plays out.
Maybe, maybe not; it seems to be connected to the observer’s degree of religious fervor and even then it’s not clear cut. It appears to be based on a point system although the method of tabulating the points is only known to the members of a secret society. The system is hidden in ancient texts buried deep in the catacombs of the Vatican.
Me, I’ve always wondered about the ‘Baby on board’ stickers on cars. I assume it’s a warning to other drivers that they should be extra careful to avoid getting into an accident with said vehicle. Does that mean that cars without stickers are fair game? Obviously not, but what’s the point spread? Impossible to tell without knowing the system. Would drivers be more careful if I had a sticker in my window with the words ‘Senior on board’? Maybe having the number of points next to the warning would be of some help in making a decision. I don’t know.
You can take a life and if you repent, God will forgive you and you can go to heaven. If you commit suicide, you have not had time to repent therefore you are going straight to hell. That one is arbitrary, no points to save your ass. Who makes this shit up?
I hope I’ve helped ease your mind. Peace. 
Perhaps a new thread is in order.
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Naw, the ‘Baby on Board’ stickers are simple hubris. They let everyone know what a wonderful parent they are by warning you to act safely.
“Pro Life” has never really been an accurate description of the beliefs of those against abortion. “Pro-Birth” is a better descriptor. Once the baby is born the mother is often on their own with very limited resources at their disposal.
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In other words:
“Speed up to pass or slow down to get way behind because not only am I distracted by my cellphone, GPS & playlist I have a screaming baby in the backseat that I need to stretch to get their fallen pacifier.”
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The universal sign is a seat belt hanging out the driver’s door.
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Everyone knows that “Baby On Board” is a classic hit from the Homer Simpson Quartet.
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Satcom? Small thermonuclear weapon?
Looks like the action is in the stock judging from where the magazine is.