Two reasons why Trump may be slow responding to the repatriation of the ships

[Baitball Blogger]

with passengers who are virus related.

The first, you already know. It goes contrary to his containment story if the numbers of confirmed positive tests go up.

The second, because this is happening so fast the Republicans haven't yet figured out how to make private money out of this misfortune. For Republicans it's all about filtering money from the government to the private sector. This would have been a big opportunity for one of Trump's donors, had they been prepared. Imagine if they had a quarantineable compound available, the way they have prison compounds. But it is happening too fast to adjust and take advantage of the situation.

So we're faltering with a response because Republicans don't know how to do government, unless they can personally make money out of it. That's our reality.

[bitterross]

1. Sadly, I think you are correct

They're just trying to find a place for the next tent City. With fences around it.

[Zambero]

2. And non-availability of testing kits

"Anyone who wants a test can get one" unless of course you are stranded on an infected cruise ship where your daily risk of contagion is exponentially higher than the mainland population.

[Crunchy Frog]

16. I think that's related to money as well.

They need to wait for a U.S. company to design, patent, and manufacture them, so they can make money. That's why they're not importing them from places that already have them.

[lunatica]

32. They want to privatize testing kits so Big Pharma can turn a profit

[TwilightZone]

3. He thinks that the numbers won't count as US cases if they're on the ship.

Pretty sure he said that yesterday.

He doesn't know how this works. He doesn't know how any of this works.

[lunatica]

33. He's fine with the passengers and crew dying

He like those numbers.

[marble falls]

4. They could use all those abandoned WallMart/FEMA camps President Obama had readied!

<insert SARCASM emogi here>.

[TryLogic]

10. Not helpful

[marble falls]

40. Whats not helpful: Me commenting on a clueless Coronavirus pan, or the lack of a coravirus ...

policy itself?

[magicarpet]

5. Keep the cruise ship 201 miles off shore and it is not trDumpie's problem.

Just bury the dead at sea.

But don't record anything on paper.

Yea,... trDumpie/dence 2020

[Baitball Blogger]

6. History is going to make chowder bits out of Trump's legacy.

But, will the Republicans recognize how stupid they are in retrospect?

Ronnie drops the ball on AIDs
GWBII attacks the wrong country and creates hardships for everyone
Trump drops the ball on coronavirus preparation and kills Obama's positive economic trends.

[erronis]

12. History, shmistory. They don't read history books. What is Fux Newz reporting?

Sure, there'll be plenty of ivy-league and other liberal universities around the world that will have symposia and write lots of learned volumes.

The stupids need their messages packaged twit-sized.

[IronLionZion]

7. It's the standard problem of kakistocracy and kleptocracy

A kakistocracy [kækɪ'stɑkrəsi] is a system of government that is run by the worst, least qualified, and/or most unscrupulous citizens.

Kleptocracy (from Greek κλέπτης kléptēs, "thief", κλέπτω kléptō, "I steal", and -κρατία -kratía from κράτος krátos, "power, rule" ) is a government with corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) that use their power to exploit the people and natural resources of their own territory in order to extend their personal wealth and political powers.

Time for America to elect new leadership that is actually qualified.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Yes. We are there. And let's remember how it happened.

Money is a great motivator...and a great corrupter. Unless we learn to regulate our industries, they will continue to bring out the worst in everybody.

[Pepsidog]

9. Let's see where this 8 billion goes. Lots of bribes with that money.

[TryLogic]

11. Lots of profiteering potential as well.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. I wish Randy Shilts was still alive.

He would be following this and taking notes.

[JDC]

13. Most certainly. The tests were the first indication of that

We had to have them made here even though accurate testing was already avail. The ones made here were of course faulty, causing more delay, panic and unnecessary spread.

Thanks Trump.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. +1

[RockCreek]

17. Third, a large portion of the people on that ship are not US citizens.

Third, a large portion of the people on that ship are not US citizens.
The majority of the staff on the Diamond Princess were Asian. That is the norm on cruise ships. Once docked, if they are sick there will be pressure to treat them here unless they are stable enough for a med evac halfway around the world -- and someone pays for that. Most positive tests, of the few tests even done on the ship, were staff. If he can't get them flown back to their own countries immediately, then they will be in quarantine here. And if they are in quarantine here then they would need treatment here if they get sick.
And, horror, many will not even have the proper visas to enter the US.
I think there is a Xenophobic element to this as well. How could there not be with this administration's track record?
I think there is

[Baitball Blogger]

29. All complications that Trump will make worse.

If he sends sick people back home, he will just keep spreading this mess.

[AlexSFCA]

18. the economy will be hit hard in second quarter

but then I think it will be on a steady recovery path till election. This will make it harder for us to beat trump.

[PatrickforO]

22. Interesting. What makes you say that? I'm feeling the opposite,

because China has shut down so much of its manufacturing due to the virus. Based on this, my reasoning is that there are two factors that will slow down the economy through at least the autumn of this year:

1. Shelves are going to start turning up empty, particularly in electronics stores, but a startling number of companies are dependent on China for electronics for their operations.

2. The rapid spread of the virus will cause a panic for food, water and non-durable goods like toilet paper. Also cold medicines. And people will stop attending events, travel will be down, eating out will be down. People will stop buying big ticket items, at least for a time. This lowered demand will cause layoffs, and due to the ripple effect in the economy felt by the loss of jobs in traded industries, it will cause layoffs in other industry groups.

This will tip the economy into recession. A third factor that will exacerbate the recession is the Republican penchant for holding off on disaster relief to allow private companies to come in and profit off suffering. But, due to the weaknesses in government caused by a) the giant 2017 tax cut for billionaires and b) Trump's refusal to fill many, many key positions, we are looking at a government response to this thing that will make the old Keystone Cops look good.

Now, I am an economist, and they do call economics the 'dismal science,' so I might be wrong.

I don't think I am, though.

Let's have a gentle-person's bet, shall we? The winner can have a quiet gloat, and the loser will have to publicly acknowledge the other was right.

My latest bet like that is with a friend in the Secret Service. I bet that we'd see either Biden and/or Buttigieg on the Democratic ticket, and he bet not. Looks like I might win that one, and the stakes are a nice lunch.

[Baitball Blogger]

28. You might be right about everything, of course. But who doesn't doubt

that Trump will throw everything at the market to try to keep it buoyant up to the election?

[PatrickforO]

34. You've got a point there, but consider this:

Wall Street isn't Main Street and the performance of the stock market won't necessarily be correlated with the spread of the virus and with the deaths.

Now, The Republicans ARE trying to suppress the number of cases. The scamps are trying to make lemonade from lemons because they only have 15,000 test kits so they are refusing to test people. No test, no diagnosis. No diagnosis, they can still report low cases and say it's nothing to worry about. Look at this post for reference on that: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213058932

Wow.

But I just cannot see how the GOP can get through this just by lying and minimizing the problem. Too many people will get sick, word will get out about the clusterfuck that is our healthcare system, and people will begin dying. There's no way lying alone can control this.

I will tell you this, though, and I'm DEAD serious. These cretins are ALREADY guilty of crimes against humanity with the concentration camps that are dotting our landscape. Now, when white people begin to die, our racist system will get REALLY MAD. Because white people are dying. Republicans are dying. Trump can't lie that away. He just can't. But we need some goddamn trials for these criminals when the election is over. Let's just hope we win it.

Problem is, if things worsen, I could 100% see Trump declaring martial law and 'postponing' the election.

To be honest, I'm too old for this kind of upheaval. I'm FURIOUS about this whole shit-show, and am fervently hoping that the good guys (that's us) will ultimately win. It always looks darkest before the proverbial dawn, but I'm not very fucking cheerful right now. Or particularly optimistic. I never thought this country could fall this far this fast.

[AlexSFCA]

35. My theory is under assumption that virus is much less of an issue during summer

so that production will start ramping up by then and economy can only go up from then on. Vaccine may be available by October.

[PatrickforO]

36. Hmm. Hope you're right, then. I really do.

I would very cheerfully admit I was wrong.

[OhNo-Really]

19. I agree. LabCorp stock stopped trading Friday

Sadly, opensectrets.org won’t show Congress members stock history for this period until 2020 or later.

LabCorp shares halted Friday pending news
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3549141-labcorp-shares-halted-pending-news

“The NYSE has suspended trading in reference lab LabCorp (LH -1.8%) pending the release of news. In this case, likely related to a coronavirus test“

[uponit7771]

20. THIS !!! The CDC screw up was a Trump associate private company !!!

[Baitball Blogger]

27. .

It just keeps getting better and better; oilier and oilier.

[PatrickforO]

21. Probably about 60-70% of the people on here know that.

Trick is, how do we get the word out to a bigger swath of the people?

[Beartracks]

23. I think you're right. Republicans say government can't do anything right...

... because they simply don't understand how to do government, so they keep doing it wrong.

================

[Baitball Blogger]

25. +1

[Sugar Smack]

24. That's why I don't think we'll have Martial law.

It's too expensive.

[Newest Reality]

30. You may have a point there.

However, the Martial Law Freedom Tax Act might be up next if that's the case and that will pay for it. If you are wealthy, you will be provided many loopholes.

Self-imprisonment fees are also another potential boon. Hey, look at all we gave up and paid to counter terrorism and now its not much of a thing anymore, so my point is that all you need is some new thing to exaggerate and whip up a frenzy with

Then, there are the Going Anywhere Value Subtracted tolls...

[dchill]

26. Republicans have no interest in government...

...unless they can personally make money out of it. Even then, they do it wrong.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

31. The GOP motto

Government doesn't work. Elect us and we'll prove it.

[Baitball Blogger]

37. +1

[HarlanPepper]

38. Trump has a hostile relationship with the cruise industry anyway

His Cuba policy cost those companies a lot of money.

[hedda_foil]

39. He could put them all up at his hotels and charge the government $2,500 a head.