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Open thread May 19, 2020

Dan Crawford | May 19, 2020 9:30 am

Tags: open thread Comments (20) | Digg Facebook Twitter |
20 Comments
  • EMichael says:
    May 19, 2020 at 10:20 am

    This guy really has a problem with fair elections, and this is a scary story less than six months out.

    ” Georgia Republicans cancel election for state Supreme Court, meaning governor can appoint a Republican

    Republicans will control a seat on the state Supreme Court for an extra two years.

    The state of Georgia was supposed to hold an election Tuesday to fill a seat on the state Supreme Court. Justice Keith Blackwell, a Republican whose six-year term expires on the last day of this year, did not plan to run for reelection. The election, between former Democratic Rep. John Barrow and former Republican state lawmaker Beth Beskin, would determine who would fill Blackwell’s seat.

    But then something weird happened: Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, canceled Tuesday’s election. Instead, Kemp will appoint Blackwell’s successor, and that successor will serve for at least two years — ensuring the seat will remain in Republican hands.”

    https://www.vox.com/2020/5/19/21262376/georgia-republicans-cancel-election-state-supreme-court-barrow-kemp-blackwell

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 19, 2020 at 10:26 am

    Should be very interesting figuring out who is the better prognosticator of future economic trends and growth. Fed Chair Powell or the economic team at the White House. As of today they are basically 180 degrees apart. And Powell was featured in a high profile 60 minutes segment this week.

    (pops popcorn)

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 19, 2020 at 10:31 am

    This piece in The Atlantic says we can avoid a depression by spending $10T. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/we-can-prevent-a-great-depression-itll-take-10-trillion/611749/

    The number is a “stunner” but if you think about the missing demand in the economy it’s probably more realistic than not. And the cost of not doing it is likely going to be higher. Depending on whether you believe Powell or the White House/GOP

  • EMichael says:
    May 19, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Kudlow is a member of the White House economic team.

    He has never been right about anything in his entire fen life.

  • Bert Schlitz says:
    May 19, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    What do you mean “spending” money???? These are the type of posts that can’t seem to understand the difference between spending multiples and dead weight transfers that do little.

  • Denis Drew says:
    May 19, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    Could airlines charge double fare for a trip guaranteed to have every passenger and crew person wearing N95 masks? (Just to play with the idea.) Would you jump on such a trip? (Overbooked to the high heavens?)

    N95 protection would keep you from infecting other passengers — even as it kept them from infecting you — double-reverse protection. (You heard of it here first). Ever hear of a protected medical person infecting another protected medical person (are they ever afraid of each other)?

    Could US corona virus transmission rate drop below 1 to 1 if everybody wore N95 outside their home all the time? Save civilization with 50 cent apiece masks?!

  • Arne says:
    May 19, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    I don’t think you can save restaurants with masks, but airlines probably.

    The ballroom dance teacher has a real challenge, too.

  • Arne says:
    May 19, 2020 at 3:50 pm

    Will they charge more for the stopover in Denver than the non-top NY to LA?

  • Tom aka Rusty says:
    May 19, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    I was going to have a quiet spring and think about retirement.

    Oops.

    • run75441 says:
      May 21, 2020 at 6:19 am

      Rusty:

      You will get bored unless you have something else to occupy you.

      I can across an article by the AAPS discussing their letter to the Arizona Gov. endorsing the use of HCL plus AZT, etc. I am not going to explain the use of HCL as an ionophore in th4e treatment of Covid 19 early on in the treatment (first two weeks). I thought it was interesting this splinter group of doctors is doing such and is willing to go on record with its endorsement.

      My own opinion is such that I believe Gilead is being given a huge gift in the endorsement of remdesivir which supposedly has the same attributes of being useful in the earlier phases of Covid. ICER found remdesivir would be cost-effective at $28,670 if the analysis used as a benchmark the common $100,000 per incremental quality-adjusted life-year gained. The ICER argued that $50,000/QALY should be applied to remdesivir during a public health emergency. After that calculation, ICER pegged a price at $4,460 which makes sense as startup costs have been paid. In any case, I am sure Gilead will profit greatly at a price of $4,460 which is $thousands greater than if HCl was viable.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 19, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    Wow Tom/Rusty. Synchronicity, right there with ya. Almost 3 months after moving 1600 miles into our planned retirement “Dream House” in Vermont, my tentative separation date of 1/1/2022 is looking kind of dubious. We’ll see, at least we got the move over with. So it goes.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 19, 2020 at 6:52 pm

    Math/economics guy Steve Randy Waldman rips “Herd Immunity” to shreds: https://www.interfluidity.com/v2/7364.html

    • run75441 says:
      May 21, 2020 at 6:27 am

      AS:

      Herd immunity without a vaccine in hand is stupid. Let Kemp, Trump, Pence, and DeSantis lead the way and be first in line. Perhaps Florida will reduce it numbers of older people who are particularly vulnerable.

  • Eric Kaumheimer says:
    May 20, 2020 at 8:32 am

    Travel is going to be hammered until an effective vaccine is produced and widely used. Forget the idea of masks as much an influence on travel plans. The person who absolutely has to fly somewhere will feel more confident, which is a good thing, but you don’t fly to Orlando unless you have a lot of confidence that Disney and Universal are going to be fun and worth the value, and I just struggle thinking that a socially-distanced, masked experience in summer in Orlando is going to get a lot of families with kids saying ‘yeah, this is such a great vacation’. Maybe a limit case, but flying to the regional sales meeting in Philadelphia is also not going to make a ton of sense to most companies. Airline traffic recovers to the extent that not needing a mask makes sense. Maybe they can try it, but it will not have a significant impact.

  • EMichael says:
    May 21, 2020 at 9:02 am

    Here is the Biden campaign.

    Trump Death Clock

    56,435

    Estimated U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Due To POTUS Inaction
    In January 2020, the Trump administration was advised that immediate action was required to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, “there was a lot of pushback” to this advice. President Trump declined to act until March 16th. Epidemiologists now estimate that, had mitigation measures been implemented one week earlier, 60% of American COVID-19 deaths would have been avoided.

  • Tom aka Rusty says:
    May 21, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Run:

    Right about boredom. I am restarting a specialty publishing and seminar company to have something to do.

    My wife has administered hydroxy to Lupus and RA patients and she says it is nothing to mess with and she would not take it for preventative purposes.

    She is very familiar with lesser respiratory viruses in the elderly and she wants no part of Covid. We are being very cautious no matter what the politicians decide.

    Be safe all!

    • run75441 says:
      May 21, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Rusty:

      Same here. Daughter is an NP, the first of my tribe to get a Masters and following partially in my footsteps. CL is not meant to be taken as a vitamin and neither is HCl. My daughter has been in at UoC Hospital teaching and working in the ER.

      My wife and I are holed up. Freezer is full of prepared meals + some meat. At our age, we are not going anywhere either. Glad your safe.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 21, 2020 at 1:13 pm

    Was notified today that my job at IBM is ending effective June 22. 23 years and 8 months. Sometimes we make plans and sometimes the plan makes us. My 59 1/2 birthday is June 23 so this will probably work out okay for us. Could have been a lot worse. Glad we moved to a Medicaid expansion state this year to help us ride it out until we’re both 65 1/2. So it goes.

    We won’t be bored at all – I have 3 pinball machines in various stages of restoration I have been wanting to make progress on. Gravity rules!

    • run75441 says:
      May 21, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      AS:

      What do you do employment-wise? If degreed, I would continue working as your income should be greater than 138% FPL. Both of your SS benefits may be greater than 138% FPL which will toss you into the exchanges. With “your” income and if you can get by on it, you work and if she chooses to draw on SS, bank it and invest it or both of you work. If health is good, why not?

  • run75441 says:
    May 21, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    “If social distancing in the U.S. had started two weeks before the time most people began staying at home, it could have prevented a stunning 54,000 deaths and 960,000 cases, researchers have found.” Coronavirus live updates: CDC chief issues stark warning on possible second wave and more lockdowns as global cases top 5 million Ryan W. Miller and Jessica Flores, USA TODAY 3 hrs ago

    To make sense or put a a perspective on this, I will use Michigan’s count as of May 19th.

    Michigan Covid May 19, 2020

    As you can see Michigan’s Confirmed Covid cases is 52,988 and an approximate 1 of 10 dying from Covid or 5060. The 54,000 dying nationally corresponds nicely with Michigan’s total Confirmed Cases. Two weeks of an early start on social distancing would have prevented all of Michigan’s Confirmed Cases and an ~ one tenth of the deaths. A bit of a stretch; but, you getb the picture.

    If you like data, go here: Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Data/USA

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