Wow!
I'm tired of the media saying the unemployment numbers were causred by coronavirus. A virus can't cause unemployment. Stupid politicians can - and have chosen to do so, not by accident but by design. That includes republicans and democrats, starting with Trump. I'm sure he's now kicking himself for slavishly following the advice of some scientists while not considering the contraty advice of others. Medicine is not the only science.
Oh, sorry, Trump never kicks himself. Among all the politicians, he is THE master at blaming others and taking no responsibilty.
It's interesting watching both the left-leaning and right-leaning media avoid criticism of the shutdowns themselves. Right-leaning media can't bear to say Trump made a mistake. Same thing for left-leaning media regarding the governors.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
New York Times
A great newspaper no more. I buy it on Saturdays and weekends, primarily for the puzzles, but also to get my blood pressure up. There are rarely articles any more that just report the news. Most articles are opinion pieces thinly disguised as reporting. And even in an otherwise plain vanilla piece, the Times reporters (who are overwhemingly young) often can't resist throwing in some tangential commentary on Trump or victimhood, or both.
Two examples from today:
In the middle of an article about apparent anomalies in the distribution of remdesivir, the reporter notes that a hospital in Massachusetts serving a primary black population isn't getting any. Trump is a racist. So are most republicans.
Two long articles about the dropping of the Michael Flynn case barely contain the reporters' outrage, implying the action was part of a conspiracy or worse. The articles contain virtually no mention of any facts about the case itself. In the Times' world, prosecutions against republicans are always justified but those against democrats are always political vendettas.
Two examples from today:
In the middle of an article about apparent anomalies in the distribution of remdesivir, the reporter notes that a hospital in Massachusetts serving a primary black population isn't getting any. Trump is a racist. So are most republicans.
Two long articles about the dropping of the Michael Flynn case barely contain the reporters' outrage, implying the action was part of a conspiracy or worse. The articles contain virtually no mention of any facts about the case itself. In the Times' world, prosecutions against republicans are always justified but those against democrats are always political vendettas.
Friday, May 8, 2020
More Coronavirus Updates
Three interesting developments:
Without any recognition of irony, NPR reported this morning that many nurses are having their hours cut or are being laid off, as the need for virus care declines. That's a predictable result of ramping up too much by politicians overly influenced by the Katrina effect. The very same NPR report noted that the nurses have fewer places to turn for employment because of the shutdowns. NPR is unable to see any link between these things because it views everything that happens in the world through the lens of victimhood. I'm starting to call it National Whining Radio.
The CDC collects data and reports the results of what they call "excess deaths," the number of reported deaths from all causes that exceeds historical expectations.* So far the incomplete data show significant recent excess deaths, only part of which are identified as resulting from the virus. I couldn't find a breakdown of the causes of those other deaths; perhaps I couldn't navigate the website adequately. It will be interesting to see the eventual breakdown of excess deaths and compare their causes.
Cuomo has no apologies for having pleaded for health care workers from outside New York to come to the state to help out and then taxing them on the resulting compensation they received.
*The website carefully notes the many limitations affecting the accuracy of the data.
Without any recognition of irony, NPR reported this morning that many nurses are having their hours cut or are being laid off, as the need for virus care declines. That's a predictable result of ramping up too much by politicians overly influenced by the Katrina effect. The very same NPR report noted that the nurses have fewer places to turn for employment because of the shutdowns. NPR is unable to see any link between these things because it views everything that happens in the world through the lens of victimhood. I'm starting to call it National Whining Radio.
The CDC collects data and reports the results of what they call "excess deaths," the number of reported deaths from all causes that exceeds historical expectations.* So far the incomplete data show significant recent excess deaths, only part of which are identified as resulting from the virus. I couldn't find a breakdown of the causes of those other deaths; perhaps I couldn't navigate the website adequately. It will be interesting to see the eventual breakdown of excess deaths and compare their causes.
Cuomo has no apologies for having pleaded for health care workers from outside New York to come to the state to help out and then taxing them on the resulting compensation they received.
*The website carefully notes the many limitations affecting the accuracy of the data.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
More Coronavirus Updates
Andrew Cuomo is either dense or a charlatan. I'm guessing a bit of both.
At his "briefing" today, he expresses surprise that the rate of infection of hospital workers is low. He credits his arranging for PPE for that. He either doesn't realize or ignores that hospital workers are always exposed to germs and viruses and are experienced in protecting themselves. The only difference about the Wuhan virus is that's it's more contagious, not more deadly.
Certainly we should be grateful to hospital workers. But the media, spurred by the politicians, are going overboard on this, likely from a sense of guilt. Hospital workers are just doing their job, like most of the rest of us try to do. The media treat this as if the workers going to work are like the charge of the light brigade, risking almost certain death. But the data are beginning to show that it's pretty much life as usual for them. If they've been underappreciated in the past by the elite, it's great that the elitists may henceforth be a bit more humble.
And health workers aren't stupid. They're already beginning to make noise about higher pay. Cuomo and his ilk have labeled them "heroes" and you know what comes next.
At his "briefing" today, he expresses surprise that the rate of infection of hospital workers is low. He credits his arranging for PPE for that. He either doesn't realize or ignores that hospital workers are always exposed to germs and viruses and are experienced in protecting themselves. The only difference about the Wuhan virus is that's it's more contagious, not more deadly.
Certainly we should be grateful to hospital workers. But the media, spurred by the politicians, are going overboard on this, likely from a sense of guilt. Hospital workers are just doing their job, like most of the rest of us try to do. The media treat this as if the workers going to work are like the charge of the light brigade, risking almost certain death. But the data are beginning to show that it's pretty much life as usual for them. If they've been underappreciated in the past by the elite, it's great that the elitists may henceforth be a bit more humble.
And health workers aren't stupid. They're already beginning to make noise about higher pay. Cuomo and his ilk have labeled them "heroes" and you know what comes next.
Coronavirus Updates
Governor Cuomo claimed he was surprised to discover that hospitalizations in NY were concentrated in the elderly and stay-at-homers, not workers. I'm guessing he wasn't surprised at all.
This virus has little serious impact on the young and healthy. Your chances of being hospitalized, let alone dying, are minuscule unless you are old and have a fairly serious underlying respiratory condition. Disregard the outliers that the doomsday media loves to ferret out.
There never was any reason to lock down everyone. The evidence is slowly emerging showing that.
But politicians are blinded by the Katrina effect: No politician is going to be caught underestimating the severity of a calamity. And now the politicians will spin the data and narrative to justify what they did. Very few will admit error.
This virus has little serious impact on the young and healthy. Your chances of being hospitalized, let alone dying, are minuscule unless you are old and have a fairly serious underlying respiratory condition. Disregard the outliers that the doomsday media loves to ferret out.
There never was any reason to lock down everyone. The evidence is slowly emerging showing that.
But politicians are blinded by the Katrina effect: No politician is going to be caught underestimating the severity of a calamity. And now the politicians will spin the data and narrative to justify what they did. Very few will admit error.
Monday, March 16, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted, among other things, in bans on public gatherings. I appreciate the need for these actions, but I question their constitutionality under the First Amendment. People too often forget that the amendment says the government can't abridge "the right of the people peaceably to assemble." The Supreme Court had blessed some exceptions in serious emergencies, but very very carefully. It is all too easy to use a "medical emergency" as a reason to ban gatherings that are repugnant, for unstated reasons, to the ruling authorities. Just look at how college administrations use the possibility of violence to ban gatherings.
Monday, November 4, 2019
I am always mystified by hearing people (usually on the left) denigrate Justice Thomas, usually backed solely by the statement "he doesn't ask questions." I tell them to read any of his opinions, which of course they don't. Many legal scholars are assering that he is the greatest justice of our time. Among other things, he's totally principled.
Read Myron Magnet's piece in City Journal. It's enlightening.
Read Myron Magnet's piece in City Journal. It's enlightening.
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