I listened to the Rush Limbaugh show on the way home (just out of curiosity). Mark Steyn was standing in for Rush and telling everybody to do what they're told, ride it out and don't panic. I was frankly shocked! Better late than never I guess...
Edit: FYI - big turnaround on conservative radio in general since Trump's declaration last week. I'm sure Trump hated admitting he was wrong, but at least he finally did (sort of).
I read a news article somewhere that said that Tucker Carlson had to meet with Trump personally at Mar a Lago to get him to take the virus seriously. I like Carlson, but what a clown show.
I listened to the Rush Limbaugh show on the way home (just out of curiosity). Mark Steyn was standing in for Rush and telling everybody to do what they're told, ride it out and don't panic. I was frankly shocked! Better late than never I guess...
Edit: FYI - big turnaround on conservative radio in general since Trump's declaration last week. I'm sure Trump hated admitting he was wrong, but at least he finally did (sort of).
I read a news article somewhere that said that Tucker Carlson had to meet with Trump personally at Mar a Lago to get him to take the virus seriously. I like Carlson, but what a clown show.
I 1000% believe it would take a FOX News personality telling him this to get through. But Dr. Fauci?? Naw, what does he know. That guy has been walking a damn tightrope for the last month trying to soothe Trump's ego so he doesn't get shit-canned while still trying to be honest with the public, but he's basically had to be cryptic about it until the last 10 days.
Look, when this is studied years from now, you will be able to statistically pinpoint the rate at which people who were listening to partisan conservative media were more likely to contract and spread the virus. I guarantee it. MUCH of the citizenry is utterly ignorant about what's going to happen, but the willful act of treating this like the 9/11 terror attacks, and standing up against social distancing as way of showing how you won't be "bullied or told what to do" by outside forces is on a WHOLE other level. The virus is not an Al Qaeda cell that you can "make a point" to by going out to a crowded bar to show you aren't scared. Grow the fuck up people. As I have said, @Balrog99 is practically the most conservative poster in this group, and he is perfectly honest about this dynamic and how prevalent it is.
I am grown up and if I choose not to socially isolate myself then law enforcement authorities are going to have to make me go home at gunpoint. My parents are in their 70s and my father is clearly in a high-risk group, given his three heart attacks (that I know of) but I must remain true to my principles even in light of the current circumstances. Like I said elsewhere, I cannot believe that Republicans are pushing for cash payments to citizens, telling small businesses when they will be open (presuming they can open at all, since Ohio ordered places like gyms to close completely), effectively suspending parts of the First Amendment, and Democrats are pushing Trump to assume more authority to deal with the situation when they were accusing him of "abuse of power" only 3 months ago.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
Look, when this is studied years from now, you will be able to statistically pinpoint the rate at which people who were listening to partisan conservative media were more likely to contract and spread the virus. I guarantee it. MUCH of the citizenry is utterly ignorant about what's going to happen, but the willful act of treating this like the 9/11 terror attacks, and standing up against social distancing as way of showing how you won't be "bullied or told what to do" by outside forces is on a WHOLE other level. The virus is not an Al Qaeda cell that you can "make a point" to by going out to a crowded bar to show you aren't scared. Grow the fuck up people. As I have said, @Balrog99 is practically the most conservative poster in this group, and he is perfectly honest about this dynamic and how prevalent it is.
I am grown up and if I choose not to socially isolate myself then law enforcement authorities are going to have to make me go home at gunpoint. My parents are in their 70s and my father is clearly in a high-risk group, given his three heart attacks (that I know of) but I must remain true to my principles even in light of the current circumstances. Like I said elsewhere, I cannot believe that Republicans are pushing for cash payments to citizens, telling small businesses when they will be open (presuming they can open at all, since Ohio ordered places like gyms to close completely), effectively suspending parts of the First Amendment, and Democrats are pushing Trump to assume more authority to deal with the situation when they were accusing him of "abuse of power" only 3 months ago.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
Ok, well, that is indeed your choice. I don't know that there is anything to tell you in light of this information. Clearly you are not alone in this mindset, I think it's destructive at a minimum. All memes and jokes about the movie "Joker" aside (by god please don't anyone bring it up), this is a society, and it sounds like you don't like living in one, or at least assuming the responsibility that comes with living in one. God knows you aren't unique in this thinking.
I am perfectly happy with society enacting "authoritarian" measures when it comes to clear threats to public health like a new pandemic. Here in PA most buisnesses are shut down, hell, I don't have work for the near future because of it. This one may or may not be dangerous to a young healthy person right now, but sooner or later there will be a disease that comes along that is threatening to everyone, and I'd rather have society be prepared for this eventuality.
The collective mindset is more destructive, as is blind obedience to authority.
I certainly didn't need authority to tell me to do any of this. I was calling for most of it 4 to 5 days before the authorities were even contemplating it. Most of us who did so were dismissed as crazy and paranoid by friends and family for bringing it up, as I have documented time and again. When all we were really doing was looking at China, Iran and Europe, and our numbers and saying "ummm, we have a huge fucking problem here."
I am perfectly happy with society enacting "authoritarian" measures when it comes to clear threats to public health like a new pandemic. Here in PA most buisnesses are shut down, hell, I don't have work for the near future because of it. This one may or may not be dangerous to a young healthy person right now, but sooner or later there will be a disease that comes along that is threatening to everyone, and I'd rather have society be prepared for this eventuality.
Not to mention, the knock on effects are very very dangerous to everyone. The virus is less than likely to hurt a young healthy person, but when the heathcare system is stressed to the limit by an influx of patients, and that young healthy person gets in a nasty car accident... there will be consequences.
The current healthcare system is a product of free market capitalism - which eventually found that the best way to run it is to be as efficient with resources as possible. A hospital only needs a bare minimum + a small safety net in terms of beds/ventilators/medical equipment and the like. It improved efficiency and made a lot of people money... but was never designed to handle a health issue of the current magnitude that could hit so quickly (If it was slower, and the system could ramp up to meet it, that would be one thing).
I heard a figure somewhere that there are only around 100,000 ventilators in the USA in total. For all I know, that number is wrong, but it's a bit worrisome to think about, when there are projections by government related medical offices that between 70 and 150 million Americans may get COVID
I didn't say "don't be prepared"; only fools don't prepare. What is being done right now, though, is not "preparation" but "panic"--overreacting after the fact. This particular coronavirus is actually relatively benign compared to what a virus *could* do--consider Spanish Flu or "Black Death", which some researchers conclude was probably a viral hemmoraghic fever given the rate at which it spread (5 miles per day in a time when people were not as mobile as now, limited mostly to foot or horse--the rate of spread was too fast to have been bacterial in nature).
Since people were not prepared now, once this passes, those who are wise will stock up on supplies sufficient to last two weeks (at the very minimum), one month (not bad), or three months (that's more like it) and they will also prepare in case the water and elecric grid are negatively impacted (get a generator). Along with that are sleeping bags and a decently-stocked first-aid kit.
The economic system shock is definitely off-the-charts (my usual phrase "statistically anomalous" is insufficient here); the ripples of it are going to be with us for quite some time and some small businesses which have been forced to close may close permanently. Some Democrats were hoping for a recession last year; it looks like they got their wish, albeit later than they would have liked.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
There is an issue about recognizing when something is a genuine threat. I don't think for instance that it would be rational to suggest someone should jump off a skyscraper in order to demonstrate their freedom from fear of heights. Personally I think we're well past the point of suggesting that Covid-19 can be shrugged off as just fear-mongering, rather than being a genuine threat - irrespective of political convictions. I can appreciate that others will have different views about just what that point is, but I think anyone arguing that there could never be such a point would just be ignoring reality.
The way in which anyone chooses to meet that threat will obviously vary as a result of different experiences and convictions. If you strongly believe that any form of central authority is harmful rather than helpful, then I can see why you might argue that the current threat from Covid-19 would not justify strengthening that central authority. However, I can't see any grounds at all for arguing there is no disease threat in the first place.
I have never suggested that there is no threat--people are clearly becoming sick and people are clearly dying. I am reacting to the *response* to that threat. In my opinion, the level of threat was "we should bomb that outpost where the enemy is encamped" but the response was "okay, we dropped a nuke on it". Yes, it accomplished the goal but it caused a lot of unnecessary collateral damage as a side-effect.
A majority of people support the response, which is not a problem for me. I will simply be the lone dissenting voice.
I am grown up and if I choose not to socially isolate myself then law enforcement authorities are going to have to make me go home at gunpoint. My parents are in their 70s and my father is clearly in a high-risk group, given his three heart attacks (that I know of) but I must remain true to my principles even in light of the current circumstances.
Like I said elsewhere, I cannot believe that Republicans are pushing for cash payments to citizens,
The only thing Republicans normally care about is tax cuts for Business so these businesses will bribe them with campaign donations. The mask is off. They have been lying about principles to dress up their main goal - rigging the system for the elites.
... telling small businesses when they will be open (presuming they can open at all, since Ohio ordered places like gyms to close completely), effectively suspending parts of the First Amendment,
Public safety measures. There's a lot of morons and pig headed people out there.
and Democrats are pushing Trump to assume more authority to deal with the situation when they were accusing him of "abuse of power" only 3 months ago.
He did abuse his power before. There was literally no reason to threaten a foreign country with Invaders on their borders to create a fake investigation.
And Democrats have taken this seriously and been telling him to move his ass and he's been lying and stalling and trying to conceal the truth - until today apparently.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
With this threat your previous 'freedom' might end up getting yourself or your loved ones killed. Or maybe you just get infected and spread a fatal disease to others. People that do that should probably get murder charges. Your bad decisions don't just affect yourself.
At the last debate Joe Biden did some lying about a few things but one thing in particular pisses me off is when he attacked Italy's healthcare system.
"With all due respect for Medicare for All, you have a single-payer system in Italy — it doesn’t work there." - Joe Biden
This is a right wing talking point he's using.
"If public healthcare is so good why is Italy having so many issues, HA OWNED!"
His point is wrong and screw Joe Biden for saying this, he's either lying or misinformed.
Yes Italy is overwhelmed now but it's not the fault of the single payer system.
In 2000 Italy's healthcare system was regarded, by World Health Organization's ranking, as the 2nd best in the world after France, and according to the World Health Organization, Italy has the world's 6th highest life expectancy.
Today, the U.S. Health Care is ranked the worst in the developed world and tens of millions are uninsured and tens of millions more are under insured. Life expectancy is 26th highest.
Italians can go to the doctor whenever they feel the need and get whatever medicine is prescribed or surgery or treatment is needed and not pay one euro. There's no such thing as medical bankruptcy.
In the US medical problems are a leading cause of bankruptcy. People don't follow doctors orders because they can't afford it. Millions are uninsured and underinsured.
Yes, coronavirus is a tough test for Italian society — and one imposing hard sacrifices all over the world. Yet even in such a situation, no one is raising question marks over their healthcare system (the SSN). Not even the most right-wing forces — not even the Italian equivalents of Donald Trump — are prepared to say anything about public health care other than to offer praise and support. Universal public health care is doubtless the reason why Italy hasn’t collapsed.
So screw Joe Biden and his right wing talking point. A cursory examination of the results of each countries healthcare systems shows his argument to be BS. Joe Biden, like Republicans and most Democrats, takes money from medical companies and lobbyists and he's protecting their interests and not the American people's interests.
On the subject of free healthcare:
I live in the UK. A year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. All the testing, all the subsequent operations and all the ongoing treatments are free, as will be the treatment for Corvid-19 should I contract it.
I'm unemployed and have no savings - I know where I'd rather live.
On the subject of free healthcare:
I live in the UK. A year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. All the testing, all the subsequent operations and all the ongoing treatments are free, as will be the treatment for Corvid-19 should I contract it.
I'm unemployed and have no savings - I know where I'd rather live.
The reaction to that in America from some would literally be (no hyperbole) "I'm not obligated to pay for your treatment. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Besides, I'm not afraid of the libtard flu hoax. I'm going out tonight with as many friends as possible."
One could also argue that I have already "paid" for it through the National Insurance contributions and Income Tax payments that I made when I was employed - this is after all where the funding for the National Health Service and the State Pension comes from.
When the seriousness escalates over the coming weeks, Asian-Americans and their businesses are going to start getting attacked. This is where they are going with this:
Look, when this is studied years from now, you will be able to statistically pinpoint the rate at which people who were listening to partisan conservative media were more likely to contract and spread the virus. I guarantee it. MUCH of the citizenry is utterly ignorant about what's going to happen, but the willful act of treating this like the 9/11 terror attacks, and standing up against social distancing as way of showing how you won't be "bullied or told what to do" by outside forces is on a WHOLE other level. The virus is not an Al Qaeda cell that you can "make a point" to by going out to a crowded bar to show you aren't scared. Grow the fuck up people. As I have said, @Balrog99 is practically the most conservative poster in this group, and he is perfectly honest about this dynamic and how prevalent it is.
I am grown up and if I choose not to socially isolate myself then law enforcement authorities are going to have to make me go home at gunpoint. My parents are in their 70s and my father is clearly in a high-risk group, given his three heart attacks (that I know of) but I must remain true to my principles even in light of the current circumstances. Like I said elsewhere, I cannot believe that Republicans are pushing for cash payments to citizens, telling small businesses when they will be open (presuming they can open at all, since Ohio ordered places like gyms to close completely), effectively suspending parts of the First Amendment, and Democrats are pushing Trump to assume more authority to deal with the situation when they were accusing him of "abuse of power" only 3 months ago.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
Wow. Just wow. You are going to kill somebody. This kind of sociopathic mindset is EXACTLY why we are in the mess we are right now. If you hate society, other people, and your own family so much that you don't even give a second thought for endangering their lives, just leave. You clearly can't handle the responsibility of co-existing with a community.
No man is an island,
entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were.
as well as if a manor of thy friend’s
or of thine own were.
Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
This is a unique problem Americans are going to have. There is no collective mindset in America. Hasn't been since the Depression/World War II. It's been eradicated. We've been taught to take all we can get at all costs. We've been taught government is the problem, and the current Administration is the end-game of a 50+ year conservative project to destroy it from within. And now we need it. And it's failing because the people who hate it are in charge of it.
When the seriousness escalates over the coming weeks, Asian-Americans and their businesses are going to start getting attacked. This is where they are going with this:
When the seriousness escalates over the coming weeks, Asian-Americans and their businesses are going to start getting attacked. This is where they are going with this:
In answer to her question; 'Boomer Remover'. No, I'm not kidding...
Yeah, well the shitty 20-year olds on the beach in Florida by the thousands are as culpable in this as anyone else. But, again, good luck convincing a 20-year old they aren't immortal and that their actions have an effect on others.
The next thing you are going to see (since Seattle and New York are going to get slammed the hardest first) is that "only people in blue states are dying". As if 40-45% of the population in even the most liberal state isn't conservative. Trump will start framing this by whether the people in the states being effected voted for him or not. We've already seen it with hurricanes and wildfires. Why would he act any different now??
Trump just got done with another press conference. As predicted, he couldn't keep up the facade for even 24 hours. Saying the only thing his Administration has done wrong is "press relations" and the WHO tests weren't up to American standards. There is NO evidence these test kits were defective. In fact, the ones that had to be tossed because of errors are the ones from the CDC. Not the other way around. This man is going to become more dangerous than ever.
By the way, I have seen Democratic AND Republican Governors doing a great job at mobilizing given their limited resources to something like this. Doug Burgum here in ND was VERY pro-active on school closings, though I wish he would close the restaurants and bars BEFORE we get a load of cases rather than after. The leadership void is coming from one man who is utterly incapable of handling this. He is going to blame and deflect as a matter of course. He will take responsibility for nothing. He will have his propaganda machine push the xenophobic tripe while he personally goes after blue state governors, knowing damn well individual states do NOT have the power to solve this on their own. They don't have the testing capacity.
And this kind of shit is how you get to guillotines. God some of these landlords are the worst people on the planet. Every governor and mayor in the country should take their power to evict people out of their hands until this is over before the end of the day:
When the seriousness escalates over the coming weeks, Asian-Americans and their businesses are going to start getting attacked. This is where they are going with this:
In answer to her question; 'Boomer Remover'. No, I'm not kidding...
Yeah, well the shitty 20-year olds on the beach in Florida by the thousands are as culpable in this as anyone else. But, again, good luck convincing a 20-year old they aren't immortal and that their actions have an effect on others.
The next thing you are going to see (since Seattle and New York are going to get slammed the hardest first) is that "only people in blue states are dying". As if 40-45% of the population in even the most liberal state isn't conservative. Trump will start framing this by whether the people in the states being effected voted for him or not. We've already seen it with hurricanes and wildfires. Why would he act any different now??
Trump just got done with another press conference. As predicted, he couldn't keep up the facade for even 24 hours. Saying the only thing his Administration has done wrong is "press relations" and the WHO tests weren't up to American standards. There is NO evidence these test kits were defective. In fact, the ones that had to be tossed because of errors are the ones from the CDC. Not the other way around. This man is going to become more dangerous than ever.
By the way, I have seen Democratic AND Republican Governors doing a great job at mobilizing given their limited resources to something like this. Doug Burgum here in ND was VERY pro-active on school closings, though I wish he would close the restaurants and bars BEFORE we get a load of cases rather than after. The leadership void is coming from one man who is utterly incapable of handling this. He is going to blame and deflect as a matter of course. He will take responsibility for nothing. He will have his propaganda machine push the xenophobic tripe while he personally goes after blue state governors, knowing damn well individual states do NOT have the power to solve this on their own. They don't have the testing capacity.
And this kind of shit is how you get to guillotines. God some of these landlords are the worst people on the planet. Every governor and mayor in the country should take their power to evict people out of their hands until this is over before the end of the day:
Relevant commentary in this video about covid-19 and preparedness in the US. The problem is not that a lot of people don't yet grasp the severity of the situation. Contains political commentary, hence this thread.
In perhaps the most hilarious moment of levity I've ever seen, the Cuomo brothers argue over which one broke curfew more and who mom's favorite child is on national TV:
Biden is set to win all of the contests being held today. Ohio postponed, but based on all available data - would have also been a pretty easy win for Biden. Florida is an absolute landslide.
The contest is over. Sanders has lost. I think he should bow out for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is related to COVID. I also believe that the longer he stays in the running and gets run over by Biden, the more of a disservice he is doing progressives.
If Biden gets the idea that he doesnt need progressives in his coalition, he'll tack away from courting their vote through policy changes. Furthermore - in order to continue to strike a contrast with Sanders, Biden will take moderate positions. Some Sanders attacks will only entrench Biden in the moderate position, rather than pull him to the left.
Sanders from this point forward should proceed with 2 objects in mind: Helping to ensure the progressive policies are in part of the Biden platform, and helping to ensure that Trump doesnt win reelection.
Very conflicted on the primaries being held today. What happened in Ohio (the governor cancelling it despite the Supreme Court saying no) is a possible precedent for November. But everyone MUST remember this fact. Barring an election, the incumbent does not just get to hold office in perpetuity. Trump's authority without another election behind him ends on January 20, 2021 at noon. He is, with no question, completely without power at that point.
Comments
I read a news article somewhere that said that Tucker Carlson had to meet with Trump personally at Mar a Lago to get him to take the virus seriously. I like Carlson, but what a clown show.
I 1000% believe it would take a FOX News personality telling him this to get through. But Dr. Fauci?? Naw, what does he know. That guy has been walking a damn tightrope for the last month trying to soothe Trump's ego so he doesn't get shit-canned while still trying to be honest with the public, but he's basically had to be cryptic about it until the last 10 days.
I am grown up and if I choose not to socially isolate myself then law enforcement authorities are going to have to make me go home at gunpoint. My parents are in their 70s and my father is clearly in a high-risk group, given his three heart attacks (that I know of) but I must remain true to my principles even in light of the current circumstances. Like I said elsewhere, I cannot believe that Republicans are pushing for cash payments to citizens, telling small businesses when they will be open (presuming they can open at all, since Ohio ordered places like gyms to close completely), effectively suspending parts of the First Amendment, and Democrats are pushing Trump to assume more authority to deal with the situation when they were accusing him of "abuse of power" only 3 months ago.
I would rather *die* than submit to a collective mindset. The rest of you may voluntarily surrender your freedom to fear if you so desire. I refuse.
Ok, well, that is indeed your choice. I don't know that there is anything to tell you in light of this information. Clearly you are not alone in this mindset, I think it's destructive at a minimum. All memes and jokes about the movie "Joker" aside (by god please don't anyone bring it up), this is a society, and it sounds like you don't like living in one, or at least assuming the responsibility that comes with living in one. God knows you aren't unique in this thinking.
I certainly didn't need authority to tell me to do any of this. I was calling for most of it 4 to 5 days before the authorities were even contemplating it. Most of us who did so were dismissed as crazy and paranoid by friends and family for bringing it up, as I have documented time and again. When all we were really doing was looking at China, Iran and Europe, and our numbers and saying "ummm, we have a huge fucking problem here."
Not to mention, the knock on effects are very very dangerous to everyone. The virus is less than likely to hurt a young healthy person, but when the heathcare system is stressed to the limit by an influx of patients, and that young healthy person gets in a nasty car accident... there will be consequences.
The current healthcare system is a product of free market capitalism - which eventually found that the best way to run it is to be as efficient with resources as possible. A hospital only needs a bare minimum + a small safety net in terms of beds/ventilators/medical equipment and the like. It improved efficiency and made a lot of people money... but was never designed to handle a health issue of the current magnitude that could hit so quickly (If it was slower, and the system could ramp up to meet it, that would be one thing).
I heard a figure somewhere that there are only around 100,000 ventilators in the USA in total. For all I know, that number is wrong, but it's a bit worrisome to think about, when there are projections by government related medical offices that between 70 and 150 million Americans may get COVID
Since people were not prepared now, once this passes, those who are wise will stock up on supplies sufficient to last two weeks (at the very minimum), one month (not bad), or three months (that's more like it) and they will also prepare in case the water and elecric grid are negatively impacted (get a generator). Along with that are sleeping bags and a decently-stocked first-aid kit.
The economic system shock is definitely off-the-charts (my usual phrase "statistically anomalous" is insufficient here); the ripples of it are going to be with us for quite some time and some small businesses which have been forced to close may close permanently. Some Democrats were hoping for a recession last year; it looks like they got their wish, albeit later than they would have liked.
Statistic noted for future reference.
There is an issue about recognizing when something is a genuine threat. I don't think for instance that it would be rational to suggest someone should jump off a skyscraper in order to demonstrate their freedom from fear of heights. Personally I think we're well past the point of suggesting that Covid-19 can be shrugged off as just fear-mongering, rather than being a genuine threat - irrespective of political convictions. I can appreciate that others will have different views about just what that point is, but I think anyone arguing that there could never be such a point would just be ignoring reality.
The way in which anyone chooses to meet that threat will obviously vary as a result of different experiences and convictions. If you strongly believe that any form of central authority is harmful rather than helpful, then I can see why you might argue that the current threat from Covid-19 would not justify strengthening that central authority. However, I can't see any grounds at all for arguing there is no disease threat in the first place.
A majority of people support the response, which is not a problem for me. I will simply be the lone dissenting voice.
There's always ONE of you guys in the crowd...
Edit: Most of the time it's me.
The only thing Republicans normally care about is tax cuts for Business so these businesses will bribe them with campaign donations. The mask is off. They have been lying about principles to dress up their main goal - rigging the system for the elites.
Public safety measures. There's a lot of morons and pig headed people out there.
He did abuse his power before. There was literally no reason to threaten a foreign country with Invaders on their borders to create a fake investigation.
And Democrats have taken this seriously and been telling him to move his ass and he's been lying and stalling and trying to conceal the truth - until today apparently.
With this threat your previous 'freedom' might end up getting yourself or your loved ones killed. Or maybe you just get infected and spread a fatal disease to others. People that do that should probably get murder charges. Your bad decisions don't just affect yourself.
"With all due respect for Medicare for All, you have a single-payer system in Italy — it doesn’t work there." - Joe Biden
This is a right wing talking point he's using.
"If public healthcare is so good why is Italy having so many issues, HA OWNED!"
His point is wrong and screw Joe Biden for saying this, he's either lying or misinformed.
Yes Italy is overwhelmed now but it's not the fault of the single payer system.
In 2000 Italy's healthcare system was regarded, by World Health Organization's ranking, as the 2nd best in the world after France, and according to the World Health Organization, Italy has the world's 6th highest life expectancy.
Today, the U.S. Health Care is ranked the worst in the developed world and tens of millions are uninsured and tens of millions more are under insured. Life expectancy is 26th highest.
https://medium.com/@harsh.singh.clif/u-s-health-care-ranked-worst-in-the-developed-world-1d397cd291c6
Italy has MORE hospital beds per thousand people than the US.
Italians can go to the doctor whenever they feel the need and get whatever medicine is prescribed or surgery or treatment is needed and not pay one euro. There's no such thing as medical bankruptcy.
In the US medical problems are a leading cause of bankruptcy. People don't follow doctors orders because they can't afford it. Millions are uninsured and underinsured.
Yes, coronavirus is a tough test for Italian society — and one imposing hard sacrifices all over the world. Yet even in such a situation, no one is raising question marks over their healthcare system (the SSN). Not even the most right-wing forces — not even the Italian equivalents of Donald Trump — are prepared to say anything about public health care other than to offer praise and support. Universal public health care is doubtless the reason why Italy hasn’t collapsed.
So screw Joe Biden and his right wing talking point. A cursory examination of the results of each countries healthcare systems shows his argument to be BS. Joe Biden, like Republicans and most Democrats, takes money from medical companies and lobbyists and he's protecting their interests and not the American people's interests.
I live in the UK. A year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. All the testing, all the subsequent operations and all the ongoing treatments are free, as will be the treatment for Corvid-19 should I contract it.
I'm unemployed and have no savings - I know where I'd rather live.
The reaction to that in America from some would literally be (no hyperbole) "I'm not obligated to pay for your treatment. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Besides, I'm not afraid of the libtard flu hoax. I'm going out tonight with as many friends as possible."
Edit/add: this is how the NHS is funded:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/nhs-in-a-nutshell/how-nhs-funded
This is also quite interesting:
https://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/breakdown?units=d
Wow. Just wow. You are going to kill somebody. This kind of sociopathic mindset is EXACTLY why we are in the mess we are right now. If you hate society, other people, and your own family so much that you don't even give a second thought for endangering their lives, just leave. You clearly can't handle the responsibility of co-existing with a community.
entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were.
as well as if a manor of thy friend’s
or of thine own were.
Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
John Donne 1623
In answer to her question; 'Boomer Remover'. No, I'm not kidding...
Yeah, well the shitty 20-year olds on the beach in Florida by the thousands are as culpable in this as anyone else. But, again, good luck convincing a 20-year old they aren't immortal and that their actions have an effect on others.
The next thing you are going to see (since Seattle and New York are going to get slammed the hardest first) is that "only people in blue states are dying". As if 40-45% of the population in even the most liberal state isn't conservative. Trump will start framing this by whether the people in the states being effected voted for him or not. We've already seen it with hurricanes and wildfires. Why would he act any different now??
Trump just got done with another press conference. As predicted, he couldn't keep up the facade for even 24 hours. Saying the only thing his Administration has done wrong is "press relations" and the WHO tests weren't up to American standards. There is NO evidence these test kits were defective. In fact, the ones that had to be tossed because of errors are the ones from the CDC. Not the other way around. This man is going to become more dangerous than ever.
By the way, I have seen Democratic AND Republican Governors doing a great job at mobilizing given their limited resources to something like this. Doug Burgum here in ND was VERY pro-active on school closings, though I wish he would close the restaurants and bars BEFORE we get a load of cases rather than after. The leadership void is coming from one man who is utterly incapable of handling this. He is going to blame and deflect as a matter of course. He will take responsibility for nothing. He will have his propaganda machine push the xenophobic tripe while he personally goes after blue state governors, knowing damn well individual states do NOT have the power to solve this on their own. They don't have the testing capacity.
And this kind of shit is how you get to guillotines. God some of these landlords are the worst people on the planet. Every governor and mayor in the country should take their power to evict people out of their hands until this is over before the end of the day:
That landlord's a dick. Here's a couple that are not collecting rent:
This Newport landlord is giving his restaurant tenants a break on rent. He’s calling on others to follow suit.
https://www.newportri.com/news/20200315/this-newport-landlord-is-giving-his-restaurant-tenants-break-on-rent-hes-calling-on-others-to-follow-suit
Maine Landlord: It's A Crisis, So I'm Not Collecting Rent
https://www.wonkette.com/maine-landlord-its-a-crisis-so-im-not-collecting-rent
My kids take karate lessons. Their instructor, for whom this is his only source of income as far I know, has said classes are cancelled for safety.
So there are a lot of dicks out there but there are also a lot of people who are sacrificing.
The contest is over. Sanders has lost. I think he should bow out for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is related to COVID. I also believe that the longer he stays in the running and gets run over by Biden, the more of a disservice he is doing progressives.
If Biden gets the idea that he doesnt need progressives in his coalition, he'll tack away from courting their vote through policy changes. Furthermore - in order to continue to strike a contrast with Sanders, Biden will take moderate positions. Some Sanders attacks will only entrench Biden in the moderate position, rather than pull him to the left.
Sanders from this point forward should proceed with 2 objects in mind: Helping to ensure the progressive policies are in part of the Biden platform, and helping to ensure that Trump doesnt win reelection.