For some reason I was thinking the US is the most populous country. We're third.

[Maraya1969]

We have more than double the cases of China. And we do not test unless someone has symptoms! When I brought up yesterday that someone mentioned that we only have 4% of the world's population but 20% of the cases some people were saying that it is because other countries are not testing. But we are not testing!!! We have no regular testing. But we have 180,000 sick people right now and that is exploding more and more every damn day!

I feel like we are not the magnificent country that helps everyone because we have the best of everything anymore. Our healthcare sucks. And so much about us sucks too. And I will tell you where I believe we went wrong.

We have the worst wealth disparity of any modern country. The worst! All the money that used to make America great is now sitting at the top with a small group of greedy fuckers that aren't helping us. And don't try to tell me that they worked for it. I see people working 3 jobs and still have a hard time getting by. No, this country is now set up by the rich and for the rich. And nothing will change until we change that fact.

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R

[ProfessorGAC]

2. I Share Your Disgust

But, you don't really believe the numbers coming out of China, do you?
I'm in no way defending the crappy way this thing was managed. But, with both D & R governors digging at the dolt, I trust the aggregated state number more than I trust China.
Also, Russia. Stuck on 16 cases for a week. Then they closed the borders & shut down Moscow! Over 16 cases? Come on!
We're way above where we should be, especially the deaths. But, comparing country to country isn't valid math when the data is highly suspect.

[Maraya1969]

3. I don't know. I would think that if they are as bad as us we would have some information right now.

I mean they aren't completely contained like N. Korea.

I don't know.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. You Trust The Flow Of Info From There...

...much more than I do. I'm extremely (!) skeptical of their reporting.
My Russia example is apt. We still don't see their numbers skyrocketing, but they closed the borders for something. And closing one of world's biggest cities isn't because they were worried about it coming in from other countries.
Never trust a closed society.

[Maraya1969]

4. According to the world meters site Indonesia only has 1,528 cases. They are the 4th most populous

country after us. Are they lying also? I do understand that the US is made up of the entire world. We have people moving around the world and coming here probably more than in any other country. I just don't understand why our numbers are so damn high!


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[ProfessorGAC]

7. They Grossly Lack Testing

It's an archipelago. They have people who are practically off the grid.
Also, not a truly open society.
So, could they be lying too? Yes.
Think of it this way: if we didn't have governors who were openly angry with Trump (both D & R) openly reporting the numbers, do you think our numbers would be published at 180,000? With Trumpets lording over the CDC?
Our numbers are fair best guesses because the federal government knows that it can't control all the information. Cuomo, Pritzker, Newsome, DeWine, Inslee, & others are going to release their best data, no matter what Trump says.

[Maraya1969]

14. OK that makes sense to me. If Trump had a way to push this under the rug he would surely do it.

[doc03]

6. Today I would believe more of what I hear from China than what comes out of

the Whitehouse. SAD

[ProfessorGAC]

8. See My Last Post

I share that opinion, except we've got governors that are releasing their best numbers no matter what Trump thinks.
So, the battle to contain the numbers is already lost. They have no choice but to release the real numbers.
No such incentive exists for the Chinese government. Or the Russian government.
They actually control the information and they don't have powerful politicians, not beholden to the federal government.

[Hekate]

13. Thanks, Prof. I am dismayed at a site full of American political junkies, there can still be people

...who are unaware that countries with so-called authoritarian governments are ipso-facto closed societies where "news" is what the central government says it is and where the flow of information in and out is closely regulated. Most citizens of China in 2020 are completely unaware of the Tienanmein Square Massacre, for instance. The Chinese doctor in Wuhan now hailed as a hero whistleblower (by us and a few people who knew him) was originally arrested for opening his yap and now is dead of Coronavirus. Don't even get me started on Russia.

Despite the wet dreams of the GOP, we still have a free press, a Democratic Speaker of the House, and a slew of hero governors.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. And 3 Of Those Governors..

...have an R after their name.

[Hekate]

18. Yes

[jberryhill]

9. "We have the worst wealth disparity of any modern country"

Um, no, we rank 55th in that. You should visit South Africa some time.

Wealth disparity can be objectively measured, and is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

(you can click the headers to rank by each metric)

[Maraya1969]

15. This Gini index has the US at 47. Most countries are less than that except for some in S. America

and the Middle East. I don't see an actual ranking of 55 anywhere.

Gini: Gini index, a quantified representation of a nation's Lorenz curve. A Gini index of 0% expresses perfect equality, while index of 100% expresses maximal inequality.

The US is 47 GINI ranking. Compare that to Europe; none come up to that mark.

And this one; the percentage that the richest 1% owns has the US's 1% owning 20% of our total wealth. Very few other countries have that. Qatar has 29%

Maybe we are not the worst. But we are up there with the worst.

[uponit7771]

10. K&R, we have requisite testing where as China and S Korea do not

[jimfields33]

11. China cases are probably 5 times the numbers they provide

No way they are giving accurate numbers.

[Hortensis]

12. Besides that, we are 4.25% of the world's total population.

We were about 5% last time I looked.

[zackymilly]

17. I don't believe anything that comes out of China. Remember Tienemen Square protests?

China said there were around 200 deaths during the protests, but the BBC and others said there were around 10,000.

[Hekate]

19. As far as the average Chinese citizen is concerned, it's all fallen down the memory hole...

...and mever happened at all. Some protest or other.