Government Response to Coronavirus 4: The Reality Show From Hell

[Becky]

56 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Mother speaks!

And shows her stupidity about wearing masks.

While she's at it, she highlights her husband's inability to understand basic instructions.

I'm adding her to the list of those not being tested weekly.

So did he not notice that EVERYONE ELSE HAD ON A MASK!?!? 

[ADoyle90815]

California's governor Gavin Newsom is ordering all California beaches closed.

One more reason I'm glad I live in California. If people had taken this seriously from the beginning and kept their social distancing, beaches never would have had to be closed. As much as I like going for bike rides along the beach, I knew it was a bad idea when everything else was shutting down. One more for "This is why we can't have nice things."

[fraurosena]

This self-love is nauseating.

 

[clueliss]

VP Pence wears mask at GM after the Mayo clinic kerfuffle.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/30/coronavirus-vice-president-mike-pence-wears-mask-after-criticism.html

[fraurosena]

When someone asks a confronting question about an imbecilic statement you made, you simply start talking about another virus, criticise Joe Biden, say the previous administration had bad polling, then refer to a totally different question as if that was what the reporter asked, drop your favourite phrase (Fake News!) and say how you're doing a spectacular* job.

*Spectacular obviously his word of the day today.

[GreyhoundFan]

Sad, but true: "We’re all Zelensky now"

Quote

Do us a favor though: Before we provide lifesaving equipment, praise the president.

Do us a favor though: Before we rescue the U.S. Postal Service, raise postage prices on the president’s perceived political enemies.

Do us a favor though: Before we assist states in fiscal crisis, reopen your economies when we say so. Oh, and hand over your immigrants.

A more public-service-oriented president might view a viral pandemic as a time to prioritize saving lives and providing services and funds wherever needed. But to President Trump, the coronavirus outbreak is just another opportunity for a shakedown.

This should have been obvious, given how he exploited another country’s crisis.

Last summer, as Ukraine was desperate for aid that Congress had appropriated but that the Trump administration had frozen, Trump held his “perfect phone call” with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump told Zelensky, per the rough transcript: “I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it.”

He then asked for Zelensky’s help in smearing a domestic political rival.

To many voters, this exchange, involving a faraway country, may have seemed no different from the usual horse-trading that U.S. officials conduct with counterparts abroad. Trump calls himself a brilliant dealmaker, after all; maybe this episode was just another boring political negotiation.

It wasn’t, of course. It was about extracting a favor designed to help the president’s personal interest, rather than his country’s.

In December, during the impeachment hearings, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan offered an analogy explaining why Trump’s extortion attempt should be troubling.

“Imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas that’s prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding,” Karlan testified. “What would you think if, when your governor asked the federal government for the disaster assistance that Congress has provided, the president responded, ‘I would like you to do us a favor. I’ll meet with you and send the disaster relief once you brand my opponent a criminal’?”

That hypothetical might once have seemed ludicrous. Now, like the Onion’s March joke about Trump someday recommending bleach ingestion, it looks prophetic. To be sure, the current disaster isn’t weather-related, and the quid pro quo demanded doesn’t involve branding Trump’s opponent a criminal, per se.

Nonetheless, Trump appears to be salivating over the personal “favors” he might wring from distressed parties now needing his help.

In late March, for instance, he suggested that provision of medical supplies to states would be conditional on praise from governors. “It’s a two-way street,” he said on Fox News. “They have to treat us well, also. They can’t say, ‘Oh, gee, we should get this, we should get that.’ ”

Days later, in a White House press briefing, he urged Vice President Pence not to call governors who were insufficiently “appreciative”: “If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call.”

The gambit seems to have worked. At another news conference weeks later, he screened a montage of groveling governors lavishing him with praise, in what seemed awfully close to a campaign ad.

Last week, when asked about helping the troubled U.S. Postal Service, he issued another crisis-enabled ultimatum: no aid unless the USPS quadruples prices on packages.

“If they don’t raise the price, I’m not signing anything,” Trump told reporters. He specifically and repeatedly mentioned the need to raise prices on Amazon.

Which, again, isn’t a surprise. Trump has allegedly sought before to use his office to punish Amazon — through antitrust, government procurement and, yes, postage rates. This appears to be because Trump is unhappy with coverage in The Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. While pressuring the USPS to jack up prices is likely to hurt rural Trump voters, and possibly increase financial stress for the agency, doing so still might be his best chance to retaliate against a perceived political foe.

Meanwhile, in the weeks since that initial ventilator shakedown, states and counties have begun facing severe fiscal strain. Revenue shortfalls are worsening, and Trump has so far refused to endorse more federal relief.

Initially, White House aides said Trump was withholding aid to maintain pressure on states to reopen. This week, Trump offered another precondition for assistance: If state and local officials want money, they must first get rid of “sanctuary city” policies. This would of course be a major political win for Trump, even if it potentially makes life in these cities more dangerous.

Once upon a time, Americans might have dismissed Ukraine’s troubles as irrelevant to their lives. Well, we’re all Zelensky now.

 

[Ozlsn]

8 hours ago, fraurosena said:

This self-love is nauseating.

 

Well he's not wrong about it being spectacular. Probably not in the sense he thinks though.

[Ozlsn]

Maryland deployed National Guard to protect testing kits brought in from South Korea from seizure.

I am finding this whole thing surreal.

Sweden records deadliest week of the century so far.

Spoiler

Sweden recorded its deadliest week of the 21st century after controversially resisting coronavirus lockdown measures, according to a report.

There were at least 2,505 Swedes who died between April 6 to April 12, amounting to 358 fatalities per day, Swedish outlet The Local reported.

“It’s important to clearly state that these are preliminary statistics, and that the death toll, especially for the most recent weeks, will be revised upward,” said Tomas Johansson of Statistics Sweden, a government agency that compiled the figures.

The recent spike in fatalities comes as the country refused to implement containment measures to stop the spread of the virus.

The government has called for citizens to hold themselves accountable for social distancing instead of ordering lockdowns, Agence Frances-Press reported.

“The authorities and the government stupidly did not believe that the epidemic would reach Sweden at all,” Bo Lundback, professor of epidemiology at the University of Gothenburg, told the outlet.

Sweden has recorded more than 19,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon, resulting in 2,355 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. By comparison, Sweden’s Nordic neighbors — Denmark, Norway and Finland — have recorded just 434, 206 and 199 deaths, respectively, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Armed protesters allowed into Michigan's capitol building to protest lockdown.

They could at least require them to check the damn guns at the door.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Ozlsn

[fraurosena]

28 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

Armed protesters allowed into Michigan's capitol building to protest lockdown.

They could at least require them to check the damn guns at the door

 

[Smee]

Trump talks about holding China accountable for Coronavirus coverup, downplaying etc, because China’s response may have been an authoritarian government trying to hide the human cost of something that would cause political problems for them. Pot. Kettle. Black.

[GreyhoundFan]

So now Pence is taking a page from his lord and master's book by threatening the press. "Pence staff threatens action against reporter who tweeted about visit to clinic without surgical mask"

Spoiler

Vice President Pence’s office has threatened to retaliate against a reporter who revealed that Pence’s office had told journalists they would need masks for Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic — a requirement Pence himself did not follow.

Pence’s trip to the clinic Tuesday generated criticism after he was photographed without a surgical mask — the only person in the room not wearing one. The Minnesota clinic requires visitors to wear masks as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus.

Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that he was unaware of the mask policy until his visit was over.

But Steve Herman, who covers the White House for Voice of America, suggested that there was more to the story after Karen Pence’s interview.

“All of us who traveled with [Pence] were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly,” tweeted Herman, who covered the trip as part of his rotation as one of the pool reporters, who share information with other reporters in limited-space situations.

The tweet apparently enraged Pence’s staff, which told Herman that he had violated the off-the-record terms of a planning memo that had been sent to him and other reporters in advance of Pence’s trip.

Herman said he was notified by the White House Correspondents’ Association that Pence’s office had banned him from further travel on Air Force Two, although a spokesperson in Pence’s office later told VOA managers than any punishment was still under discussion, pending an apology from Herman or VOA.

VOA is continuing to talk with Pence’s staff, said Yolanda Lopez, the director of VOA’s news center. She said it wasn’t clear how the vice president intended to proceed.

Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, declined to comment.

The issue, according to people involved, is whether Herman’s tweet violated the off-the-record terms of a planning document sent via email Monday evening by the vice president’s office to reporters who planned to travel with Pence to the clinic.

A copy of the document obtained by The Washington Post explicitly stated that masks are required for the visit and instructed reporters to wear them. “Please note, the Mayo Clinic is requiring all individuals traveling with the VP wear masks,” the document said. “Please bring one to wear while on the trip.”

The directive confirms that Pence’s staff was well aware of the need for masks, raising the possibility that none of his aides alerted him to the requirement or that Pence had intentionally flouted it, perhaps to avoid being photographed in a mask. (Pence himself told reporters after the visit that because he doesn’t have the coronavirus — he is tested frequently — he decided he could “speak to these researchers, these incredible health-care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.”)

However, the planning document is marked, “OFF THE RECORD AND FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY.” The off-the-record designation is standard for such logistical memos, indicating reporters are obligated not to publish or report the information. The White House typically keeps planning information confidential to maintain security for official trips.

But there’s some question about how long the obligation lasts — whether it is permanent or only applies to the period before and during the trip.

Herman’s tweet came nearly 48 hours after the vice president’s trip had ended, suggesting the vice president’s staff was more embarrassed by the disclosure than concerned about security.

“My tweet speaks for itself,” Herman said in a statement. “We always have and will strictly adhere to keeping off the record any White House communications to reporters for planning purposes involving logistics that have security implications prior to events. . . . All White House pool reporters, including myself and my VOA colleagues, take this very seriously.”

As is, the vice president’s office took no action against another reporter, Gordon Lubold of the Wall Street Journal, who traveled with Pence and tweeted something similar to Herman’s tweet Thursday. “Everyone in the entire Mayo Clinic had a mask on, everyone, and we were all told the day before we had to wear a mask if we entered the clinic,” Lubold tweeted.

In a now-deleted tweet, the clinic said it had alerted Pence to its mask policy before his visit. A later statement from the clinic said only that it had informed Pence’s office of the policy, not Pence personally.

Herman’s employer, Voice of America, is a government-funded but independent news agency that has lately been the object of White House criticism. The Trump administration accused VOA this month of promoting Chinese government propaganda in its reporting about the coronavirus. The VOA’s director, Amanda Bennett, has defended its independence.

On Thursday, Pence wore a mask as he toured a General Motors auto plant in Indiana that has been converted into a factory making ventilators for hospitals around the country.

 

[clueliss]

Well if you thought you weren't going to have to look at the moron in charge's signature since your stimulus payment went direct deposit - think again.  

I was notified of incoming mail (yes I have a USPS account with informed delivery activated so I know what is coming to me - as an apartment dweller with a mailbox that is not near my building - it helps me know when I actually need to stop to get my mail vs when stopping is just opening an empty box).  Today among the scanned images is something from the IRS.  says notice 1444 on the envelope.  So to google I go and this is what I find.  And yes - it has 'that' signature on it.  (I consider this a great waste of paper by the way)

https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/irs-notice-1444-why-are-millions-of-americans-receiving-this-government-notification-in-the-mail.html

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[Travlr98]

Our governor here in Arizona extended the lockdown until May 15th. The good thing is that he is slowly opening up.   We need to open things back up.   People who are afraid can stay home, but let the rest of us get on with our lives. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Twitler is going to do a town hall from the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday from 7:00 - 9:00 PM Eastern. It's being carried by Faux. Questions are to be submitted to Faux's social media accounts. Supposedly there is going to be a large perimeter and no audience. I'm sure at least some Branch Trumpvidians will make their way downtown anyway. Too bad the questions will all be softballs, because I have a lot of questions I'd love to ask him.

I hate that he is going to desecrate the Lincoln Memorial with his slimy orange ass.

[smittykins]

Governor Cuomo just announced that all New York schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

Earlier this week, I noticed school buses coming into my apartment complex; I was told they were delivering lunches to kids on the free/reduced-price meal program.

Edited May 1, 2020 by smittykins

[fraurosena]

3 hours ago, Travlr98 said:

People who are afraid can stay home, but let the rest of us get on with our lives. 

Either I'm misunderstanding (which is entirely possible -- in which case, please correct me), or I completely disagree with this sentence, because it seems like you're saying that people who choose not to spread the virus, or be infected by it, are just scaredy-cats who are choosing to cower in their homes. But it's not about being afraid at all. It's about keeping the world a safe place to be in for everyone and not overwhelm the healthcare system at the same time. So that in the end everyone can - eventually - indeed get on with their lives. 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

22 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Either I'm misunderstanding (which is entirely possible -- in which case, please correct me), or I completely disagree with this sentence, because it seems like you're saying that people who choose not to spread the virus, or be infected by it, are just scaredy-cats who are choosing to cower in their homes. But it's not about being afraid at all. It's about keeping the world a safe place to be in for everyone and not overwhelm the healthcare system at the same time. So that in the end everyone can - eventually - indeed get on with their lives. 

 

I hope I'm misunderstanding as well.

If a state opens up too early and unsafely then sure, people who are afraid can opt to stay home...but without unemployment.  State orders aren't guidelines, they are directives to employers.  People need basic living essentials which is why it's incumbant on states opening up properly and safely.

[47of74]

19 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Sad, but true: "We’re all Zelensky now"

 

Federal highway funding was often used as a way of badgering states into pass certain laws.  Even for things that had little to do with highways.  States that refused to pass specific laws were subject to a reduction in the money they received.  I've never been comfortable with that because I was worried we'd get someone who would try to badger the states into doing something evil on the grounds that they would have to or lose their highway funds. 

If we ever get our government back that's one tactic that has to go away permanently. 

 

[Vivi_music]

I have not given updates about the situation here in Québec, because I actually have been kind of drained and stunned about how the government is handling all of this.

We still have the most cases in Canada. Here are the numbers as of totday May 1st:

28 648 cases, 2 022 deaths, 1 716 people threated in hospital care.

The worst situations are still in elderly care residences. According to the numbers, of the 28 648 cases we have in the province, roughly 23% are elderly folk living in retirement homes. Yet, people living in retirement homes account for a big portion of the deaths (I can't find the official number online now but it was something like 80%). In most residence, a lot of the staff are sick themselves and have to stay home. So a lot of residents, even if they aren't sick, are not well taken care of because the facilities are understaffed. It is really a BAAAAAD situation.

So followinf that logic, because the virus is ''controlled'' within the general population, well we can start re-opening the province slowly. Yup. The province with half the cases in the country will reopen schools in May. We will the laughing stock of the whole country. Allow me a WTF. All the other provinces seem to be controling the virus better, yet the school year is canceled.

The plan is to reopen elementary schools on may 11th for the whole of Québec, and in Montréal on may 19th (because Montreal is the epicentre of the disease). Considering the incubation period is 14 days, I don't really understand the one week delay, but hmmmm okay. It is optional, meaning children with higher risks or children living with a high-risk parent will not be forced to go back to school. They will ask schools to limit classroom numbers to 15 children, the teachers will be allowed to wear protective gear if they want to, and it will be asked to inforce social distancing  as much as possible. I'm not a teacher and I'm completly puzzled. I feel bad for them.

Our government tried tons of strategy to make sure the public would accept school reopenings. Earlier in april, they said it was because Covid didn't affect children. There was a huge public outcry. Then maybe two weeks ago, the spin was ''collective immunity''. WHO (and the Canadian gov.) said that collective immunity is not a verified theory yet for COVID19. So the spin they served us this week was: vulnerable children. Children who rely on school to provide meals, children from disfunctional families, toxic family lives, children with learning disabilities, etc.

I mean... I'm not heartless. I agree that the social consequences of lockdown can be completly awful for a child victim of neglect or mistreatment. But I think it is only a political spin. I don't think our government truly cares. Considering a child died last fall because of the poor funding of child services and lack of follow-up with social workers (a real scandal, I'm not making this up), allow me to be sceptic here. I do agree that children who are healthy might be less at risk. BUT... kids don't live in a closed off bubble. Them returning to school will mean increased interaction with tons of adults: bus driver, cafeteria employees, teachers, recess monitors. Not to mention: their parents! I really don't understand how the government thinks this will not lead to a hike in cases.

I know the true motive is the economy. Because guess what: high schools will remain closed for the rest of the year. Apparently it is because high school students can manage distance learning better than children. Which is true. But it is also because high school students can stay home safe alone while their parents go back to work. I truly doubt that reopening may 19th, when our school years usually is over by June 22th, will really make a different in the children's education and learning.

Quebec is also lifting lockdown on certain economical activities: manufacturing, construction work and retail (shops).

I don't know how I'd react if I had children. My niece and nephew (my brother's kids) won't be returing going to school. My SIL has multiple sclerosis, so she doesn't want to take any risks. She is at home so it is manageable for them.

I think we are taking a HUUUGE bargain here, with people's lives. I do wish for everyone's sake that it will work. I hope that it will be manageable, and that the healthcare system will be able to manage everything. Even if I disagree with the decision, I don't want the de-confinement to go badly. Because that would mean more deaths and that is not my wish. I'm just scared of the possible outcomes of this decision.

In the meantime, I learned today that there are cases in my dad's retirement home. And I can't go visit him. All outside visits are forbidden. I could go see him from the parking lot and wave at him maybe. But I don't have a car. I used to take the bus to go visit him. I don't feel supercomfortable taking the bus during a pandemic but I'm slowly thinking of maybe doing it. I talk to him almost everyday, but other than that, I feel really powerless. Hope for the best. ?

 

[JMarie]

On 4/30/2020 at 10:52 AM, fraurosena said:

Mother speaks!

And shows her stupidity about wearing masks.

While she's at it, she highlights her husband's inability to understand basic instructions.

I'm adding her to the list of those not being tested weekly.

Is she implying everyone else HAS tested positive, yet still showed up???

[smittykins]

Mitch McTurtle calls MLB commissioner to push for baseball’s return

Edited May 1, 2020 by smittykins
fix link

[fraurosena]

I double dare Trump to do it.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

20 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

I double dare Trump to do it.

 

So how many people are going to be admitted to burn units?

[47of74]

I got the fuck face letter today. I thinking I mentioned before what I was planning to do with said letter. (Using it for personal hygiene then flushing it). I did that. I feel no shame doing so either. Especially since he just condoned the attempted overthrow of the government of Michigan.