theduran--2020-04-26--Pandemic Exposes Liberalism’s Free Market, Open Borders Road to National Suicide

Authored by Martin Sieff via The Strategic Culture Foundation : Open Borders and Free Trade induce national suicide slowly and gradually , without the victims waking up to what is going on until it is too late .
But the coronavirus has brought home with global clarity that human societies need governments and regulated borders for their own survival .
The bottom line is clear , societies that have had open borders to previous major centers of infection and transmission , like Iran and Italy which kept open strong flows of people to and from China in the early stages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Countries obsessed with maintaining liberal values and open borders like France , Germany , the United Kingdom and the U.S. also suffered disproportionately .
Countries that have allowed their domestic industry to decay have found they can not now produce the crucial equipment they need , from respirators to gas masks .
Countries with strong manufacturing bases like China , or with a prudent nationalist sense of preparing ahead for emergencies like Russia , have done far better .
The shortage of respirators in Britain has become more than a national scandal : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is another inexorable consequence of the pernicious doctrine of Free Trade .
I documented this history in some detail in my 2012 book “ That Should Still Be Us “ .
There , I showed how even the French Revolution of 1789 was in fact triggered by the catastrophic Free Trade Treaty that hapless King Louis XVI approved with England only three years before .
It led immediately to the worst economic depression in French history which triggered revolution .
In three years , liberal Free Trade succeeded in destroying a society that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most powerful state Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire .
In his classic television series and accompanying book “ How the Universe Changed ” , the great British broadcaster and historian James Burke showed how the discipline of statistics was responsible for discovering the way the cholera bacteria spread through contaminated water in 19th Century London , then the largest urban area ever experienced .
Today , we see a similar pattern in the spread of the coronavirus : While half the counties in the United States remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , infections have soared in most major metropolitan areas , especially in so-called Sanctuary cities .
Invariably these centers are ruled by liberal Democrats where illegal immigrants congregate .
They are the places where the values and consequences of Free Trade and Open Borders most clearly flourish .
And they ar ealso the places where the terrifying costs of those policies are most evident as well .
The chickens have come home to roost .
Countries like Russia and China itself , which have reacted most quickly and decisively to shut down international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep their numbers of infections and rates of spread down .
In Europe , by contrast , the impact of the virus has been appalling , The European Union has been as useless as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio , .
Pro-EU liberal national leaders like President Emmanuel Macron in France and the venerable Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany ( Berlin ’ s version of Nancy Pelosi ) just sat back in bemused silence till it was too late .
In Italy and Spain , the political splintering of societies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is in fact a very old lesson indeed : The ruling elites of the world should not have had to relearn it .
But for more than 225 years , the ruling elites of the West have mindlessly embraced Open Borders and Free Trade.Yet these have always been mere assertions of prejudice and mindless faith : They have never been proven to be true in any scientific manner .
Instead , when we look at the factual evidence of economic history over the past two centuries , it has always been the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their manufactures behind strong tariff barriers flourish with enormous foreign trade and balance of payments surpluses .
Then the livign standards of their people soar .
In contrast , free market societies too powerless , or just too plain dumb to protect their economic borders get swamped by cheap manufactures and their domestic industries get decimated .
This was the case with liberal free market Britain caught between the rising Protectionist powers of the United States , Japan and Germany for the next century .
It has been true for the decline of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more the United States embraced global free trade , the more its own domestic manufactures and their dependent populations suffered .
This never bothered the liberal intellectual elites of the East and West Coast at all .
It still doesn ’ t .
Having inflicted lasting ruin and despair on hundreds of millions of people for generations , they despise their victims as “ deplorables ” for crying out in pain and seeking to end the disastrous policies .
Russia suffered the full horrors of the merciless laissez-faire , unregulated Free Market policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Boris Yeltsin never woke up to the catastrophe that Bill Clinton and Larry Summers were inflicting on his country .
Over the past two decades , Russia ’ s recovery from that Abyss under President Vladimir Putin has been miraculous .
National social responsibility has succeeded where the crazed , simplistic theories of Adam Smith , David Ricardo and Ayn Rand all palpably failed .
The coronavirus pandemic therefore should serve as a wake up call to the peoples of the West , what Thomas Jefferson memorably called “ A Fire Bell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start following Russia ’ s examples of self reliance , prudent preparation and maintaining strong borders .
The ravages of Liberalism – its Open Borders and Free Markets – have already stripped the West of all its defenses , social , demographic , industrial and economic .
The West is out of time : The Audit of Pandemic has been taken , and the reckoning is now due ,

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Authored by Martin Sieff via The Strategic Culture Foundation:
Open Borders and Free Trade induce national suicide slowly and gradually, without the victims waking up to what is going on until it is too late. But the coronavirus has brought home with global clarity that human societies need governments and regulated borders for their own survival.
The bottom line is clear, societies that have had open borders to previous major centers of infection and transmission, like Iran and Italy which kept open strong flows of people to and from China in the early stages of pandemic, suffered exceptionally badly. Countries obsessed with maintaining liberal values and open borders like France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S. also suffered disproportionately.
Countries that have allowed their domestic industry to decay have found they cannot now produce the crucial equipment they need, from respirators to gas masks. Countries with strong manufacturing bases like China, or with a prudent nationalist sense of preparing ahead for emergencies like Russia, have done far better. The shortage of respirators in Britain has become more than a national scandal: It is a national shame. That is another inexorable consequence of the pernicious doctrine of Free Trade.
I documented this history in some detail in my 2012 book “That Should Still Be Us“.
There, I showed how even the French Revolution of 1789 was in fact triggered by the catastrophic Free Trade Treaty that hapless King Louis XVI approved with England only three years before. It led immediately to the worst economic depression in French history which triggered revolution. In three years, liberal Free Trade succeeded in destroying a society that had flourished for a thousand years and the most powerful state Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire.
In his classic television series and accompanying book “How the Universe Changed”, the great British broadcaster and historian James Burke showed how the discipline of statistics was responsible for discovering the way the cholera bacteria spread through contaminated water in 19th Century London, then the largest urban area ever experienced.
Today, we see a similar pattern in the spread of the coronavirus: While half the counties in the United States remain so far virtually free of the virus, infections have soared in most major metropolitan areas, especially in so-called Sanctuary cities. Invariably these centers are ruled by liberal Democrats where illegal immigrants congregate. They are the places where the values and consequences of Free Trade and Open Borders most clearly flourish. And they ar ealso the places where the terrifying costs of those policies are most evident as well. The chickens have come home to roost.
Countries like Russia and China itself, which have reacted most quickly and decisively to shut down international and domestic travel, have been able to keep their numbers of infections and rates of spread down.
In Europe, by contrast, the impact of the virus has been appalling, The European Union has been as useless as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio,. Pro-EU liberal national leaders like President Emmanuel Macron in France and the venerable Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany (Berlin’s version of Nancy Pelosi) just sat back in bemused silence till it was too late. In Italy and Spain, the political splintering of societies has woefully added to the chaos.
This is in fact a very old lesson indeed: The ruling elites of the world should not have had to relearn it.
But for more than 225 years, the ruling elites of the West have mindlessly embraced Open Borders and Free Trade.Yet these have always been mere assertions of prejudice and mindless faith: They have never been proven to be true in any scientific manner.
Instead, when we look at the factual evidence of economic history over the past two centuries, it has always been the case that developing industrial societies which protect their manufactures behind strong tariff barriers flourish with enormous foreign trade and balance of payments surpluses. Then the livign standards of their people soar.
In contrast, free market societies too powerless, or just too plain dumb to protect their economic borders get swamped by cheap manufactures and their domestic industries get decimated. This was the case with liberal free market Britain caught between the rising Protectionist powers of the United States, Japan and Germany for the next century.
It has been true for the decline of American industry since the 1950s, the more the United States embraced global free trade, the more its own domestic manufactures and their dependent populations suffered. This never bothered the liberal intellectual elites of the East and West Coast at all. It still doesn’t. Having inflicted lasting ruin and despair on hundreds of millions of people for generations, they despise their victims as “deplorables” for crying out in pain and seeking to end the disastrous policies.
Russia suffered the full horrors of the merciless laissez-faire, unregulated Free Market policies of the liberal West in the 1990s. Boris Yeltsin never woke up to the catastrophe that Bill Clinton and Larry Summers were inflicting on his country. Over the past two decades, Russia’s recovery from that Abyss under President Vladimir Putin has been miraculous. National social responsibility has succeeded where the crazed, simplistic theories of Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Ayn Rand all palpably failed.
The coronavirus pandemic therefore should serve as a wake up call to the peoples of the West, what Thomas Jefferson memorably called “A Fire Bell in the Night.” They need to start following Russia’s examples of self reliance, prudent preparation and maintaining strong borders.
The ravages of Liberalism – its Open Borders and Free Markets – have already stripped the West of all its defenses, social, demographic, industrial and economic. The West is out of time: The Audit of Pandemic has been taken, and the reckoning is now due,
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theduran--2020-04-26--Syrians remember the Armenian Genocide as Turkey threatens again

April 24 , 2020 , marks the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide , which was the first genocide of the 20th century .
The starting date is held to be April 24 , 1915 , in a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire , which resulted in at least 1.5 million deaths by 1923 .
The Ottoman Empire is the direct predecessor of modern Turkey .
The Armenians were the first nation in the world to make Christianity their official state religion .
The Turks were Muslims , and this holds today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extermination , as the Assyrian and Greek Christian communities were among those massacred .
While the world was focused on their collective suffering in World War 1 , the Turks were carrying out the genocide in two phases .
The second phase involved the deportation of women , children , the elderly , and the sick on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert city of Deir Ez Zor , then also under Ottoman Empire occupation .
Those marching across the vast desert were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Turks viewed Armenians as “ heathens ” , and deserved to be treated differently than the Muslims .
Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide ever happened , despite the documented history .
Turkey and Turkish leaders have vociferously refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide , and have attacked , punished , and harassed all Turkish citizens who do publicly acknowledge the crime against humanity .
The brutal Turkish dictator , Sultan Abdul Hamid II , was infuriated by the Armenian campaign to win their basic civil rights , and he declared that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon settle those Armenians , ” he told a reporter in 1890 .
The first Armenian massacre occurred between 1894 and 1896 and was the precursor to the later genocide .
The Turks not only succeeded in exterminating 1.5 million Christians , but they changed the entire culture , as they tried to re-write history .
The results were over 450 monasteries , 1,900 schools and 2,400 churches were seized and turned into Muslim places of worship , or state use .
Many of the Museums in Turkey today were once a busy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Christian antiquities were destroyed or removed to obscurity .
The names of over 3,600 towns and villages that had once been Armenian communities were morphed into new Turkish names , to erase the Armenian , and Christian history of modern Turkey once called Anatolia .
The Turks ancestors were a Central Asian race , who were warriors on horse-back , and converted to Islam .
Othman conquered Constantinople , which was a Christian center .
He established the Ottoman Empire on the doors of Europe , but his culture and mentality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept Turkey into the European Union , and much of that refusal is rooted in the culture of the Turks .
Turkey attacked an Armenian village in Syria in 2014 History repeats itself , and the world allows it because Turkey is unrepentant , and acts with impunity .
Turkey is a member of NATO and a close US ally .
President Obama ’ s war on Syria for ‘ regime change ’ included Turkey as the transit hub for the terrorists following Radical Islam , which is a political ideology followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gulf monarchies .
The attack on Kessab , Syria began on March 21 , 2014 .
Resident Samuel Poladian told Dr. Declan Hayes of Ireland he heard Turkish military helicopters overhead on the morning of the invasion .
Kessab is a small Armenian village on the border with Turkey , just north of Latakia .
Turkey orchestrated the invasion which sent 2,000 residents fleeing for their lives , as 20,000 foreign terrorists poured over the border from Turkey .
Hovian Khatcherian had been sheltering in Kessab , having been forced to flee Reqaa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ third time , she was running for her life from terrorists who were supported by the US-EU-NATO project for a new Syria .
The terrorists systematically desecrated all three of Kessab ’ s churches , and they looted the village ’ s graves seemingly looking for gold .
They stripped every house of anything of value , and their Turkmen partners ferried off household goods to be sold in the markets of Antakya and Iskenderun .
Kessab ’ s very elderly residents were kidnapped and taken to Turkey where they languished for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey visited them on “ April Fools Day ” , but when he left without releasing them , it was no joke .
Pepken Djourian and his wife watched in horror as the US-backed terrorists executed their only son Kevork in front of them and they refused to allow them to bury him .
The parents were also among the kidnapped victims enduring captivity in Turkey .
The Kessab attack , destruction , and occupation were directed solely against Armenian Christians .
It was Turkey ’ s brutal way of showing the Armenians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them that , just as in 1915 , they can occupy Kessab and slaughter its inhabitants at any time .
Kessab ’ s nightmare has not ended .
Few of the residents have returned to their homes , and most homes , shops , and farms have not been repaired .
Most residents can ’ t afford repairs , and those who can are reluctant to invest in repairs which can be wiped out again by Turkey , and its terrorist allies .
Al Qaeda is in control of Idlib , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued to periodically strike Kessab with missiles fired from Idlib .
The terrorists are supported by President Erdogan and President Trump has repeatedly demanded that Idlib and its terrorist leaders be protected against attack by the Syrian Arab Army .
Until Idlib is free of terrorists , Kessab can not be safe .
‘ Israel ’ insists that six million Jews were barbarically and cruelly murdered in the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis .
The Jews were the victims of the second genocide .
Jews and Armenians have shared common experiences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to ever recognize the Armenian genocide .
Raphael Lemkin in 1943 was the first to coin the word genocide as he was reflecting on the Armenians .
Adolf Hitler is reported to have said in 1939 : “ Who , after all , speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians ?
” Turkey was never punished for the Armenian genocide , which gave Hitler the confidence for his plan to exterminate the Jews .
‘ Israel ’ has refused to recognize the Armenian genocide out of fear of Turkey ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close ally with ‘ Israel ’ and has established a thriving oil business , trafficking stolen oil from the east of Syria through Turkey , and then shipped to ‘ Israel ’ .
The schools in ‘ Israel ’ refuse to teach the Armenian genocide as part of history , even though it has a connection to their own Holocaust .
The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem is just a place on a map for ‘ Israeli ’ students .
32 countries currently recognize the Armenian Genocide , including the US , Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the martyrs of the genocide were canonized by the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church , and special icons were placed in Armenian churches around the world .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
April 24, 2020, marks the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which was the first genocide of the 20th century. The starting date is held to be April 24, 1915, in a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire, which resulted in at least 1.5 million deaths by 1923. The Ottoman Empire is the direct predecessor of modern Turkey.
The Armenians were the first nation in the world to make Christianity their official state religion. The Turks were Muslims, and this holds today. Not only Armenians were targeted for extermination, as the Assyrian and Greek Christian communities were among those massacred.
Armenian Genocide facts
While the world was focused on their collective suffering in World War 1, the Turks were carrying out the genocide in two phases. The second phase involved the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the sick on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert city of Deir Ez Zor, then also under Ottoman Empire occupation. Those marching across the vast desert were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.
The Turks viewed Armenians as “heathens”, and deserved to be treated differently than the Muslims.
Turkish denial of history
Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide ever happened, despite the documented history. Turkey and Turkish leaders have vociferously refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, and have attacked, punished, and harassed all Turkish citizens who do publicly acknowledge the crime against humanity.
The brutal Turkish dictator, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, was infuriated by the Armenian campaign to win their basic civil rights, and he declared that he would crush them. “I will soon settle those Armenians,” he told a reporter in 1890. The first Armenian massacre occurred between 1894 and 1896 and was the precursor to the later genocide.
The Turks not only succeeded in exterminating 1.5 million Christians, but they changed the entire culture, as they tried to re-write history. The results were over 450 monasteries, 1,900 schools and 2,400 churches were seized and turned into Muslim places of worship, or state use. Many of the Museums in Turkey today were once a busy and thriving church. Libraries, artwork, and Christian antiquities were destroyed or removed to obscurity.
The names of over 3,600 towns and villages that had once been Armenian communities were morphed into new Turkish names, to erase the Armenian, and Christian history of modern Turkey once called Anatolia.
The Turks ancestors were a Central Asian race, who were warriors on horse-back, and converted to Islam. Othman conquered Constantinople, which was a Christian center. He established the Ottoman Empire on the doors of Europe, but his culture and mentality were Eastern. Germany has repeatedly refused to accept Turkey into the European Union, and much of that refusal is rooted in the culture of the Turks.
Turkey attacked an Armenian village in Syria in 2014
History repeats itself, and the world allows it because Turkey is unrepentant, and acts with impunity. Turkey is a member of NATO and a close US ally. President Obama’s war on Syria for ‘regime change’ included Turkey as the transit hub for the terrorists following Radical Islam, which is a political ideology followed by Turkey and most of the Arab Gulf monarchies.
The attack on Kessab, Syria began on March 21, 2014. Resident Samuel Poladian told Dr. Declan Hayes of Ireland he heard Turkish military helicopters overhead on the morning of the invasion. Kessab is a small Armenian village on the border with Turkey, just north of Latakia. Turkey orchestrated the invasion which sent 2,000 residents fleeing for their lives, as 20,000 foreign terrorists poured over the border from Turkey.
Hovian Khatcherian had been sheltering in Kessab, having been forced to flee Reqaa, and then Aleppo. For the third time, she was running for her life from terrorists who were supported by the US-EU-NATO project for a new Syria.
The terrorists systematically desecrated all three of Kessab’s churches, and they looted the village’s graves seemingly looking for gold. They stripped every house of anything of value, and their Turkmen partners ferried off household goods to be sold in the markets of Antakya and Iskenderun.
Kessab’s very elderly residents were kidnapped and taken to Turkey where they languished for months of captivity. The US Ambassador to Turkey visited them on “April Fools Day”, but when he left without releasing them, it was no joke.
Pepken Djourian and his wife watched in horror as the US-backed terrorists executed their only son Kevork in front of them and they refused to allow them to bury him. The parents were also among the kidnapped victims enduring captivity in Turkey.
The Kessab attack, destruction, and occupation were directed solely against Armenian Christians. It was Turkey’s brutal way of showing the Armenians and the Syrian Arab Army which protect them that, just as in 1915, they can occupy Kessab and slaughter its inhabitants at any time.
Kessab’s nightmare has not ended. Few of the residents have returned to their homes, and most homes, shops, and farms have not been repaired. Most residents can’t afford repairs, and those who can are reluctant to invest in repairs which can be wiped out again by Turkey, and its terrorist allies. Al Qaeda is in control of Idlib, which is close to Kessab. The terrorists have continued to periodically strike Kessab with missiles fired from Idlib. The terrorists are supported by President Erdogan and President Trump has repeatedly demanded that Idlib and its terrorist leaders be protected against attack by the Syrian Arab Army. Until Idlib is free of terrorists, Kessab cannot be safe.
Israel refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide
‘Israel’ insists that six million Jews were barbarically and cruelly murdered in the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis. The Jews were the victims of the second genocide. Jews and Armenians have shared common experiences; however, ‘Israel’ has refused to ever recognize the Armenian genocide. Raphael Lemkin in 1943 was the first to coin the word genocide as he was reflecting on the Armenians. Adolf Hitler is reported to have said in 1939: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Turkey was never punished for the Armenian genocide, which gave Hitler the confidence for his plan to exterminate the Jews.
‘Israel’ has refused to recognize the Armenian genocide out of fear of Turkey’s reaction, a nation which is a close ally with ‘Israel’ and has established a thriving oil business, trafficking stolen oil from the east of Syria through Turkey, and then shipped to ‘Israel’. The schools in ‘Israel’ refuse to teach the Armenian genocide as part of history, even though it has a connection to their own Holocaust. The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem is just a place on a map for ‘Israeli’ students.
Armenian Genocide Recognized Internationally
32 countries currently recognize the Armenian Genocide, including the US, Russia, Syria, and Germany. In 2015, the martyrs of the genocide were canonized by the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, and special icons were placed in Armenian churches around the world.
Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist
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theduran--2020-04-26--Time To Rethink Economics (Part 2)

Time To Rethink Economics (Part 2)

Job-creation is and always has been a massive priority of governments worldwide .
In 2012 , the World Bank claimed 600 million new jobs needed to be created over the next fifteen years .
In this connection , here is a classic quote from 1933 : “ A war would be a great idea…Another war would give our three million unemployed ample employment.
” Clearly a nuclear war would be out of the question , but how about a few regional conflicts to stoke production ?
Think of all the work that would create for munitions factories , medical professionals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what if we had a war economy for peace ?
That is in effect what we have now .
Governments , especially the American Government , are conjuring up money out of thin air , and although thankfully Donald Trump has not taken over the economy , he is pushing especially big corporations in the right direction .
Some people have warned all this new money will lead to hyperinflation a year or two down the road .
It need not and will not provided our leaders realise this is not money that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , but new money created out of thin air , a portion of which can be retired by taxation – cancelled out of existence – if necessary .
This is money created by the state for the benefit of all the people , not by the banks for their own enrichment .
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( pictured ) has been making her usual moronic pronouncements , this time about people going back to work , but for once she might be right .
Spain is said to be introducing universal basic income to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about we use this to thin out the workforce ?
The best way to do so would be to reduce the hours of those in employment by job-sharing , so instead of the staff of your local kebab shop working from 12 noon until after midnight seven days a week , two people do the same job ?
Depending on the quantum of the UBI in a particular country , this may require some juggling , but most people would gladly take a pay cut if they received in total more or less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far fewer hours .
Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea should again apply the reductio ad absurdum argument .
What happens to society when robots do most of the work , do we keep creating work for the sake of it , or allow people to pursue their own leisure activities , which will in any case create a certain amount of meaningful employment ?
Of course , there are some people who will need to put in a full work week , often with extra hours , as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same token there are many people who will never be employable under the current régime of wage-slavery .
One final point , today we take for granted the Internet .
You do , or you wouldn ’ t be reading this .
In addition to saving us time and money , the Internet delivers an enormous amount of real wealth , yet this wealth-creation isn ’ t recognised for what it is .
Let us take one example .
Prior to the Internet , a musician – say a folk artist like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studio with an acoustic guitar and record an album .
This would then be pressed onto vinyl and distributed via the established network .
The total cost of this operation would be considerable , involving transport companies , record shop staff , etc .
Today , an artist can record an album in his home studio and upload it to YouTube , indeed many do .
The cost of such distribution is negligible , indeed once you have paid for your ISP , most of what you read , watch or download from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new money is created debt-free by responsible national governments , why should not a portion of this go to the Internet companies to distribute to content creators further down the food chain ?

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Job-creation is and always has been a massive priority of governments worldwide. In 2012, the World Bank claimed 600 million new jobs needed to be created over the next fifteen years. In this connection, here is a classic quote from 1933: “A war would be a great idea…Another war would give our three million unemployed ample employment.”
Clearly a nuclear war would be out of the question, but how about a few regional conflicts to stoke production? Think of all the work that would create for munitions factories, medical professionals, undertakers…
On the other hand, what if we had a war economy for peace? That is in effect what we have now. Governments, especially the American Government, are conjuring up money out of thin air, and although thankfully Donald Trump has not taken over the economy, he is pushing especially big corporations in the right direction. Some people have warned all this new money will lead to hyperinflation a year or two down the road. It need not and will not provided our leaders realise this is not money that was borrowed and has to be paid back, but new money created out of thin air, a portion of which can be retired by taxation – cancelled out of existence – if necessary. This is money created by the state for the benefit of all the people, not by the banks for their own enrichment.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured) has been making her usual moronic pronouncements, this time about people going back to work, but for once she might be right. Spain is said to be introducing universal basic income to cope with the current crisis. How about we use this to thin out the workforce? The best way to do so would be to reduce the hours of those in employment by job-sharing, so instead of the staff of your local kebab shop working from 12 noon until after midnight seven days a week, two people do the same job? Depending on the quantum of the UBI in a particular country, this may require some juggling, but most people would gladly take a pay cut if they received in total more or less the same money in combination for working far fewer hours.
Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea should again apply the reductio ad absurdum argument. What happens to society when robots do most of the work, do we keep creating work for the sake of it, or allow people to pursue their own leisure activities, which will in any case create a certain amount of meaningful employment?
Of course, there are some people who will need to put in a full work week, often with extra hours, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez realised to her cost, but by the same token there are many people who will never be employable under the current régime of wage-slavery.
One final point, today we take for granted the Internet. You do, or you wouldn’t be reading this. In addition to saving us time and money, the Internet delivers an enormous amount of real wealth, yet this wealth-creation isn’t recognised for what it is. Let us take one example.
Prior to the Internet, a musician – say a folk artist like Ralph McTell – would go into the studio with an acoustic guitar and record an album. This would then be pressed onto vinyl and distributed via the established network. The total cost of this operation would be considerable, involving transport companies, record shop staff, etc. Today, an artist can record an album in his home studio and upload it to YouTube, indeed many do. The cost of such distribution is negligible, indeed once you have paid for your ISP, most of what you read, watch or download from the Internet is free. So when new money is created debt-free by responsible national governments, why should not a portion of this go to the Internet companies to distribute to content creators further down the food chain?
Back to Part 1.
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theduran--2020-04-26--Time To Rethink Economics (Part 1)

Time To Rethink Economics (Part 1)

As of Thursday , some twenty-six and a half million people were said to be unemployed in the United States .
Can this be true ?
How about no one is unemployed ?
No one .
if that sounds an odd thing to say , here is something even weirder .
The United States is threatening to ban the import of Saudi oil because it is too cheap .
That ’ s right .
The rationale behind this is that cheap foreign oil is bad for the American energy industry .
Can that really be so ?
Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you had the choice to pay $ 100 , $ 50 , or $ 1 a barrel for oil , which would you prefer ?
Yes , cheap foreign oil may “ hurt ” the American energy industry , but lower prices benefit all Americans .
Heck , if a visiting spaceman gave the entire world a free source of energy , we would all be better off , even if tens of millions of people were thrown out of work and all the major oil companies went bust .
Now let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation .
There are not twenty-six and a half million Americans unemployed , rather that is the number who are claiming unemployment benefits .
It isn ’ t the employment they need , it ’ s the income their regular employment would usually bring .
Now let ’ s take a deeper look .
Some Americans have been hit especially hard by the current global shut down , more than most people in the UK , it would appear .
This is probably because America is a far bigger country and many more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A city dweller can walk to the shops ; someone who has a twenty or thirty mile drive to the nearest supermarket is in a very different position .
Although some people like medical staff are working harder than ever , far more are not working at all , and look , the world is still turning .
True , there have been some food shortages due principally to panic buying , but it isn ’ t food as such that has been in short supply , only some types of food .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most people can still buy cake , or ice cream if your name is Nancy Pelosi .
Some of the high street businesses that have been most affected are amusement arcades , barbershops , beauty salons , bookmakers , hairdressers , jewellers , nail bars , public houses and restaurants .
Now ask yourself , how many of these couldn ’ t you live without for a year or even the rest of your life ?
Iranians and Pakistanis don ’ t have much use for public houses , and have done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a restaurant before or after a visit to the theatre may be a pleasant experience , but again these are things most of us can do without , and although the theatre visit provides a service while the restaurant supplies goods as well , neither of them actually creates wealth in the grand scheme of things .
The theatre trip is simply an expensive enjoyment , while a takeaway or eating at home will satisfy your hunger without putting a dent in your wallet .
All a visit to the theatre does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pocket to actors , theatre staff , restaurant staff…Indeed , the majority of jobs are nothing more than that .
We need farmers and other food producers .
We need distribution networks for food .
We need computers ; a world with a population of seven billion plus and rising could not exist without them , and we need emergency services , etc , but probably seventy or eighty per cent of the gainfully employed could pack up work for good without appreciably reducing the wealth of the nation , provided they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioned sports yet .
Think about this , how would the world be materially poorer if athletics , boxing , cricket , horse racing , soccer , tennis and most other sports events were cancelled permanently ?
We could also mention the numerous charities and think tanks that pay academics to write about or activists to lobby for or against some imaginary social evil like the gender pay gap or Satanic ritual abuse .
Many of these organisations , like Rape Crisis , are heavily subsidised by the public purse making them fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measured in various ways , but some measures are extremely deceptive .
The gross domestic product of a country is one such indicator of wealth , or is it ?
Does a country have a high standard of living if it spends half its GDP on the military while the shops are empty ?
This is the situation in war-time .
As discussed in a previous article , when wars break out , the laws of economics are mysteriously suspended .
The First World War ended in 1918 and was followed a decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought on the Great Depression .
And what was the “ cure ” for the Great Depression ?
World War Two !
Regular economists don ’ t seem to understand how insane that scenario was , and is to this day .
Men sit around idle , there is a shortage of money , people face homelessness and hunger , then suddenly there is full employment , military equipment is manufactured , and destroyed .
This goes on until either one of the parties is defeated or they have both had enough .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ option .
Let ’ s look at another aspect of economics : trade .
The theory of trade is that by specialising in what they do best , nations can create more wealth , even allowing for transport costs .
Bananas can be grown in Britain , but the cost of doing so commercially would be so great that it is far cheaper to import them from the Caribbean and concentrate on growing plants that do not require the same intensive cultivation .
The conventional wisdom is that we live by our exports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the harder we have to work .
Donald Trump and mainstream politicians never tire of preaching the virtues of work , including hard work , but if work is good and hard work is better , then surely forced labour is better still , and slavery best of all .
Does no one who matters realise how ludicrous is such reasoning ?
Libertarians have long argued that national industries should not be protected by tariffs .
This is a sound principal , generally , because no one in America or Europe needs “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will sell them a better product for half the price .
But there are limitations to this shibboleth , as Donald Trump has long argued .
The United States should not become totally dependent on China for medical supplies , and by the same token , China should not be totally dependent on any other nation for strategic goods .
Ditto every other nation on Earth .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
As of Thursday, some twenty-six and a half million people were said to be unemployed in the United States. Can this be true? How about no one is unemployed? No one.
if that sounds an odd thing to say, here is something even weirder. The United States is threatening to ban the import of Saudi oil because it is too cheap. That’s right. The rationale behind this is that cheap foreign oil is bad for the American energy industry. Can that really be so? Let’s apply reductio ad absurdum to this, if you had the choice to pay $100, $50, or $1 a barrel for oil, which would you prefer?
Yes, cheap foreign oil may “hurt” the American energy industry, but lower prices benefit all Americans. Heck, if a visiting spaceman gave the entire world a free source of energy, we would all be better off, even if tens of millions of people were thrown out of work and all the major oil companies went bust.
Now let’s return to the so-called unemployment situation. There are not twenty-six and a half million Americans unemployed, rather that is the number who are claiming unemployment benefits. It isn’t the employment they need, it’s the income their regular employment would usually bring.
Now let’s take a deeper look. Some Americans have been hit especially hard by the current global shut down, more than most people in the UK, it would appear. This is probably because America is a far bigger country and many more people live outside the urban areas. A city dweller can walk to the shops; someone who has a twenty or thirty mile drive to the nearest supermarket is in a very different position.
Although some people like medical staff are working harder than ever, far more are not working at all, and look, the world is still turning. True, there have been some food shortages due principally to panic buying, but it isn’t food as such that has been in short supply, only some types of food. If the supermarket has no bread left, most people can still buy cake, or ice cream if your name is Nancy Pelosi. Some of the high street businesses that have been most affected are amusement arcades, barbershops, beauty salons, bookmakers, hairdressers, jewellers, nail bars, public houses and restaurants.
Now ask yourself, how many of these couldn’t you live without for a year or even the rest of your life? Iranians and Pakistanis don’t have much use for public houses, and have done just fine without them. Dining out in a restaurant before or after a visit to the theatre may be a pleasant experience, but again these are things most of us can do without, and although the theatre visit provides a service while the restaurant supplies goods as well, neither of them actually creates wealth in the grand scheme of things. The theatre trip is simply an expensive enjoyment, while a takeaway or eating at home will satisfy your hunger without putting a dent in your wallet.
All a visit to the theatre does is transfer wealth, money from your pocket to actors, theatre staff, restaurant staff…Indeed, the majority of jobs are nothing more than that. We need farmers and other food producers. We need distribution networks for food. We need computers; a world with a population of seven billion plus and rising could not exist without them, and we need emergency services, etc, but probably seventy or eighty per cent of the gainfully employed could pack up work for good without appreciably reducing the wealth of the nation, provided they were still paid.
We haven’t mentioned sports yet. Think about this, how would the world be materially poorer if athletics, boxing, cricket, horse racing, soccer, tennis and most other sports events were cancelled permanently? We could also mention the numerous charities and think tanks that pay academics to write about or activists to lobby for or against some imaginary social evil like the gender pay gap or Satanic ritual abuse. Many of these organisations, like Rape Crisis, are heavily subsidised by the public purse making them fake charities.
The wealth of nations is measured in various ways, but some measures are extremely deceptive. The gross domestic product of a country is one such indicator of wealth, or is it? Does a country have a high standard of living if it spends half its GDP on the military while the shops are empty? This is the situation in war-time. As discussed in a previous article, when wars break out, the laws of economics are mysteriously suspended. The First World War ended in 1918 and was followed a decade later by a stock market crash which brought on the Great Depression. And what was the “cure” for the Great Depression? World War Two! Regular economists don’t seem to understand how insane that scenario was, and is to this day.
Men sit around idle, there is a shortage of money, people face homelessness and hunger, then suddenly there is full employment, military equipment is manufactured, and destroyed. This goes on until either one of the parties is defeated or they have both had enough. Running out of money is never an option.
Let’s look at another aspect of economics: trade. The theory of trade is that by specialising in what they do best, nations can create more wealth, even allowing for transport costs. Bananas can be grown in Britain, but the cost of doing so commercially would be so great that it is far cheaper to import them from the Caribbean and concentrate on growing plants that do not require the same intensive cultivation.
The conventional wisdom is that we live by our exports, but the more we export, the harder we have to work. Donald Trump and mainstream politicians never tire of preaching the virtues of work, including hard work, but if work is good and hard work is better, then surely forced labour is better still, and slavery best of all. Does no one who matters realise how ludicrous is such reasoning?
Libertarians have long argued that national industries should not be protected by tariffs. This is a sound principal, generally, because no one in America or Europe needs “protecting” from a Japanese businessman who will sell them a better product for half the price. But there are limitations to this shibboleth, as Donald Trump has long argued. The United States should not become totally dependent on China for medical supplies, and by the same token, China should not be totally dependent on any other nation for strategic goods. Ditto every other nation on Earth.
To Part 2.
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theduran--2020-04-27--Scientists, variables, theories and unforeseen consequences. Gods and monsters

“ It is an easy thing for one whose foot is on the outside of calamity to give advice and to rebuke the sufferer.
” Allowing scientists to dictate policy has changed some Western democracies into virtual authoritarian states , and resulted in profound imbalances and inconsistencies in approach to solving the problem of containing Covid-19 .
A government ’ s primary role is to protect its people ’ s security and welfare .
Handing over the running of a country to unelected and unaccountable scientists has presented governments with all sorts of unforeseen consequences , including how to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crocodile by it ’ s tail , the West needs to let go before it gets dragged under .
Who exactly is in charge ?
Scientists live in a rarified world of… .
other scientists .
Science is usually something they have excelled in and pursued their entire lives .
We think of them as rational and reasoned human beings .
However , science is also a competitive industry .
Our language is littered with ‘ science speak ’ and those words imply reason and balance .
Problem , solution , rational , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ‘ process ’ to achieve a ‘ result ’ .
Even with prior knowledge , the British government failed to protect either itself or its population from their own scientific advisors .
When you mix politics with science you get a dangerous combination of theory and agenda , probably the most dangerous combination as history reveals .
Whose truth and whose agenda ?
“ My job as scientific advisor is to speak scientific truth to power ” .
In a press conference on the 13th of March , British scientific advisors announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
‘ Flattening the curve ’ or as Boris Johnson termed it : ” Flatten the sombrero ” .
There seemed to be a contradiction .
How could the curve be flattened with the aim of infecting 60 % of the population to ensure enough antibodies for herd immunity , and there not be a massive rise in death rates ?
In reality , to achieve herd immunity this percentage should have been closer to between 70 % – 85 % .
With a 10 % hospitalisation rate for Covid-19 , even at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ model , the numbers would have been enormous : Britain has 53 million adults .
For an already overburdened and underfunded health service this would have been catastrophic .
There would be a steep and precipitous spike of Covid casualties before the curve could begin to descend .
Of the contradictions ; what of asymptomatic carriers ?
How can you put the over 70 ’ s and the vulnerable in lockdown for three months , yet leave private care sector workers who look after these people without PPE or being tested ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and infected those elderly and vulnerable people whom the government say it wants to protect .
If the government had continued with this policy , health services would have been completely overwhelmed as death rates would rise rapidly over a number of months , especially without a vaccine .
At the time , many of these questions were not raised , and if they were , they were answered by government scientists with glib and dismissive replies such as “ truth to power ” .
Over 100 health care professionals have so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government scientists were saying one thing and ministers another .
On 15th March , Matt Hancock , himself already infected with the Coronavirus , seemed to backtrack : “ Herd immunity is not a part of it .
That is a scientific concept , not a goal or a strategy .
Our goal is to protect life from this virus , our strategy is to protect the most vulnerable and protect the NHS through contain , delay , research and mitigate.
” There were other ‘ variables ’ to consider , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
London , an international transport and business hub , has many thousands of people flying in and out every day , possibly and probably bringing with them a highly infectious virus .
The British government has chosen to neither track , test nor quarantine these people .
Perhaps the government believes this to be one means of pursuing their herd immunity policy ?
To date , the borders have still been left open .
On the 16th of March , Imperial College London released its data of a predicted 250,000 deaths if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Within a week , on the 23rd of March , the UK went into lockdown .
Over 100,000 people still fly into Britain weekly , and foreign nationals are being flown in to harvest crops , yet thousands of British workers who applied and are willing to do these jobs on those wages are turned away .
Why would a government or an employer deliberately hurt its own people ?
Herd immunity , a theory , an experiment , was implemented as a ‘ Cost-Benefit ’ consideration , an algorithm .
Did British @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that press conference on the 12th March , or at least enter some of the demographic information into that data ?
Rather like giving the keys of the lab to Viktor Frankenstein , he might have a lot of data , but it doesn ’ t mean his theory based on that data is right or the outcome predictable .
The flaws were obvious .
No one wanted to take responsibility for the outcome .
The government has made two u-turns .
The first was to implement a lockdown , the second is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their previous policy from March 12th was , ‘ people will no longer be tested if they are showing mild symptoms .
Instead , those with the most serious symptoms will be given a blood test in hospital , and the NHS will move into a phase of prioritising the most seriously ill. ’ .
Key workers can now ‘ sign up ’ to have a test , unfortunately yesterday , the demand was so great the site crashed within minutes .
The government have neither the equipment nor the manpower to implement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When tests do become available , these tests are only for key workers only , what about the rest of the population ?
The UK are and always were at the back of the queue in the worldwide race for test kits and equipment .
The electorate will not forgive them for their arrogance , or for the people that have died , who could and should have been saved .
Scientists look to ‘ prove ’ a theory .
All well and good when it is done in a lab in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unleashed on the general public who have other considerations in their lives , it is surely reckless .
It has ruined thousands of lives and businesses , many will never recover their health or financial wellbeing .
Both strategies employed by the British government with regard to Covid-19 , given the demographics , are extreme , and lockdowns of either part or , all of a population are a severe infringement of the civil liberties and freedoms in a democracy .
Fear does not give good counsel .
In the case of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think caution and respect might be the best approach rather than panic and desperation .
The British government ’ s handling of the outbreak of Covid-19 can be described as shambolic and inconsistent at best , and negligent and possibly criminal at worst .
In South Korea , the approach has been to protect the public without the need for the introduction of draconian measures such as lockdowns .
South Korea ’ s Deputy Minister for Health and Welfare Kim Gang-lip said of lockdown methods : “ Such an approach , is close-minded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contain and observe the virus , they consider that to test and track and to mitigate unnecessary risk until you know what you are dealing with and find solutions , is far more effective .
The numbers prove them to be right .
In addition , without lockdown , the South Korean economy could function on at least a basic level .
They have tested 100,000 people daily since the beginning of the outbreak , have drive through and walk-in centre testing , and test and track .
Everyone is encouraged to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil liberties vs public safety issues , Choi Jaewook from Korea University and senior official at the Korean Medical Association added : “ Disclosing information about patients always comes with privacy infringement issues , but should be strictly limited .
It should not be about their age , their sex , or their employers.
” “ South Korea is a democratic republic , we feel a lockdown is not a reasonable choice , ” Since infection can gain entry to the system through the eyes , as well as the nose and mouth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kim also recommends wearing glasses , especially in enclosed spaces where the ‘ aerosol effect ’ spread is possible .
He is critical of the World Health Organisation ’ s advice that masks were not necessary .
He said that the WHO ’ s possible motivation for this advice was : “ to discourage the public hoarding of masks because medical professionals needed them more and masks in the US and the West are in short supply.
” Masks should be KF94 , N95 or higher spec .
When questioned as to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added : “ Why else would they be worn in hospitals ?
During SARS ( 2003 ) and MERS ( 2015 ) masks were proven to work ” .
To date , no health care workers in South Korea have been infected by Covid-19 .
“ That experience showed that laboratory testing is essential to control an emerging infectious disease .
The MERS experience certainly helped us to improve hospital infection prevention and control.
” Kim considers that anyone with a sore throat , fever or cough should be tested .
In South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test even if you have no symptoms or think you may be asymptomatic , If you test positive you are refunded by the government .
Compared to Europe and the UK , fatalities in Germany are extremely low .
To date approximately 5,600 deaths in Germany , compared to 19,506 reported in the UK , 26,976 in Italy and 22,524 so far in Spain .
Germany have four times as many ICU beds as the UK and a very strict regime of testing , isolating and treating early .
Twenty one percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 % of cases in Germany affect the over 60 ’ s , In the UK , Spain and Italy , 50 % of cases of Covid-19 affect the over 60s , significantly higher than in Germany .
German hospitals are also well equipped with PPE .
In the US , many companies have effectively been requisitioned by Trump to produce PPE , ventilators and any other equipment their health services and workers need to deal with this crisis , so much so , they have an excess .
But even Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adviser , Anthony Fauci , take centre stage .
Leaders are elected to lead not to be outflanked by unelected advisors who have little place on the podium , and certainly not at the centre of the room .
Middle-class Americans across many US States are protesting as they see their economic future slipping away .
Rightly , they want to get back to work , to claw back the last few months ’ losses , to save their businesses and their futures .
When Covid-19 first hit Wuhan City , a city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population of 11 million , China systematically began to buy up supplies of any PPE they could procure from around the world in order to protect their own population .
They knew Covid-19 would potentially be a huge threat to their entire country and its economy .
China ’ s methods of containing the virus in Wuhan were brutal .
People were locked in their flats to die or dragged from their homes into hospitals .
Before lockdown was enforced , 5 million people left the city in an exodus from train stations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airport .
On 23rd January , China closed its internal borders isolating Wuhan and many other cities in Hubei province .
China ’ s external borders having been left open would see the virus spread worldwide .
China had created a demand for medical equipment and they had 98 % of the supply .
They had complete control of how much to charge for that equipment , even if the product was substandard , and they could decide when it would be received .
It had total control of the supply chain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling supplies back to countries they procured equipment from in January , in some cases at huge mark-ups , sometimes as in the case of swabs , at 100 times the price they would have paid before the outbreak .
In China , many companies require up front payment made on the same day .
For example , the antibody test-kits supplied to the UK , which turned out to be unreliable , were paid for up front without being tested by UK officials , and the UK had to go and pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that otherwise those goods would simply be sold to someone else .
It is a suppliers dream .
So £20 million pounds of British tax payers money went to the country that created the demand for the product in the first place .
Those antibody test-kits sit in boxes in a warehouse in the UK in the hope that perhaps the component parts can be ‘ re-purposed ’ .
Never before have so many nations been held captive to one supplier .
Preferential treatment for supplies has been given or withheld by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their regime .
“ China imported about 2.5 billion healthcare items , including visors , masks , gloves and ventilators , between January 24 and February 29 , according to a report by China ’ s national customs authority , leaving frontline medical staff in scores of countries without protective equipment just as the virus hit .
Now those Covid-19 infected nations are having to buy it back at often highly inflated prices , according to various reports , handing the Chinese a diplomatic if not commercial coup as they dictate where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t shipped.
” A look at the Chinese Customs Authority Website , under the ‘ statistics ’ tab makes interesting reading , especially with regard to ‘ semiconductors ’ and ‘ circuit boards ’ being imported in March .
This will tell you much about the Chinese agenda in the tech industry and their huge internal market .
To be clear , this situation has arisen because of years of the West choosing to have its product produced in China .
Outsourcing .
This includes the practice of selling or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hollowing out of the West ’ s industrial manufacturing and intellectual product base and future expertise , all for short-term financial gain through cheaper means of production and labour costs and therefore profit .
In the US it is called ‘ unbundling ’ , “ in some cases , unbundling doesn ’ t mean a company has sold off its bundled product line , division , or subsidiary .
It could mean it has split operations into different businesses while still maintaining control of each business .
When this type of unbundling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great opportunity for success in the future.
” China have capitalised on this trend at the expense of the West and become exponentially more powerful and wealthy because of this shortsighted and immoral practice of Western businesses and corporates ’ greed .
This model favours the big corporates that make huge profits by outsourcing which squeezes homegrown companies out of the market .
It allows big buyouts and M & A ’ s , as smaller to medium-sized companies producing quality goods can no longer compete and are cut up and sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their IP is farmed out to China or Asia to a huge and growing market .
For the West , this is economic suicide .
There is disbelief that one country , China , run by the CCP , now controls the means of production and supply of basic everyday medicines and their component parts and equipment .
Electorates are wondering how our governments ’ could have let this happen ?
In country ’ s that have imposed strict security measures over their electorates , there is an unease and scepticism towards both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as people have watched their economies crash and their most basic human rights removed .
As with any experiment , it has produced a number of variables , and you can ’ t help but think our leaders are now trying to regain control of these variables , rather than of the virus itself .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by M. A. Richardson…
“It is an easy thing for one whose foot is on the outside of calamity to give advice and to rebuke the sufferer.”
Aeschylus – Prometheus Bound – 430 BC
Allowing scientists to dictate policy has changed some Western democracies into virtual authoritarian states, and resulted in profound imbalances and inconsistencies in approach to solving the problem of containing Covid-19. A government’s primary role is to protect its people’s security and welfare. Handing over the running of a country to unelected and unaccountable scientists has presented governments with all sorts of unforeseen consequences, including how to get their country back.
Having grabbed the crocodile by the tail, the West needs to let go before it gets dragged under.
Who exactly is in charge?
Scientists live in a rarified world of…. other scientists. Science is usually something they have excelled in and pursued their entire lives. We think of them as rational and reasoned human beings. However, science is also a competitive industry. Our language is littered with ‘science speak’ and those words imply reason and balance. Problem, solution, rational, reasoned, theory. They are words of ‘process’ to achieve a ‘result’.
Even with prior knowledge, the British government failed to protect either itself or its population from their own scientific advisors. When you mix politics with science you get a dangerous combination of theory and agenda, probably the most dangerous combination as history reveals. Whose truth and whose agenda?
13th March 2020. Sir Patrick Vallance chief scientific advisor to the government.
“My job as scientific advisor is to speak scientific truth to power”.
In a press conference on the 13th of March, British scientific advisors announced their theory of ‘herd immunity’. ‘Flattening the curve’ or as Boris Johnson termed it: ”Flatten the sombrero”. There seemed to be a contradiction. How could the curve be flattened with the aim of infecting 60% of the population to ensure enough antibodies for herd immunity, and there not be a massive rise in death rates? In reality, to achieve herd immunity this percentage should have been closer to between 70% – 85%. With a 10% hospitalisation rate for Covid-19, even at the low end of their 60% model, the numbers would have been enormous: Britain has 53 million adults.
For an already overburdened and underfunded health service this would have been catastrophic. There would be a steep and precipitous spike of Covid casualties before the curve could begin to descend. Of the contradictions; what of asymptomatic carriers? How can you put the over 70’s and the vulnerable in lockdown for three months, yet leave private care sector workers who look after these people without PPE or being tested? The virus has been carried into care homes and infected those elderly and vulnerable people whom the government say it wants to protect. If the government had continued with this policy, health services would have been completely overwhelmed as death rates would rise rapidly over a number of months, especially without a vaccine. At the time, many of these questions were not raised, and if they were, they were answered by government scientists with glib and dismissive replies such as “truth to power”. Over 100 health care professionals have so far died in the UK from Covid-19.
Government scientists were saying one thing and ministers another. On 15th March, Matt Hancock, himself already infected with the Coronavirus, seemed to backtrack:
“Herd immunity is not a part of it. That is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy. Our goal is to protect life from this virus, our strategy is to protect the most vulnerable and protect the NHS through contain, delay, research and mitigate.”
There were other ‘variables’ to consider, such as population density, environmental conditions, climate. London, an international transport and business hub, has many thousands of people flying in and out every day, possibly and probably bringing with them a highly infectious virus. The British government has chosen to neither track, test nor quarantine these people. Perhaps the government believes this to be one means of pursuing their herd immunity policy? To date, the borders have still been left open.
On the 16th of March, Imperial College London released its data of a predicted 250,000 deaths if herd immunity were to be pursued. Within a week, on the 23rd of March, the UK went into lockdown. Over 100,000 people still fly into Britain weekly, and foreign nationals are being flown in to harvest crops, yet thousands of British workers who applied and are willing to do these jobs on those wages are turned away. Why would a government or an employer deliberately hurt its own people?
Herd immunity, a theory, an experiment, was implemented as a ‘Cost-Benefit’ consideration, an algorithm. Did British government scientists not run the numbers before that press conference on the 12th March, or at least enter some of the demographic information into that data? Rather like giving the keys of the lab to Viktor Frankenstein, he might have a lot of data, but it doesn’t mean his theory based on that data is right or the outcome predictable.
The flaws were obvious. No one wanted to take responsibility for the outcome. The government has made two u-turns. The first was to implement a lockdown, the second is the promise of mass testing, whereas their previous policy from March 12th was, ‘ people will no longer be tested if they are showing mild symptoms. Instead, those with the most serious symptoms will be given a blood test in hospital, and the NHS will move into a phase of prioritising the most seriously ill.’.
Key workers can now ‘sign up’ to have a test, unfortunately yesterday, the demand was so great the site crashed within minutes. The government have neither the equipment nor the manpower to implement this policy, probably for many weeks. When tests do become available, these tests are only for key workers only, what about the rest of the population? The UK are and always were at the back of the queue in the worldwide race for test kits and equipment. The electorate will not forgive them for their arrogance, or for the people that have died, who could and should have been saved.
Scientists look to ‘prove’ a theory. All well and good when it is done in a lab in controlled conditions, but when it is unleashed on the general public who have other considerations in their lives, it is surely reckless. It has ruined thousands of lives and businesses, many will never recover their health or financial wellbeing. Both strategies employed by the British government with regard to Covid-19, given the demographics, are extreme, and lockdowns of either part or, all of a population are a severe infringement of the civil liberties and freedoms in a democracy. Fear does not give good counsel. In the case of a new and dangerous pathogen, one would think caution and respect might be the best approach rather than panic and desperation. The British government’s handling of the outbreak of Covid-19 can be described as shambolic and inconsistent at best, and negligent and possibly criminal at worst.
In South Korea, the approach has been to protect the public without the need for the introduction of draconian measures such as lockdowns. South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Health and Welfare Kim Gang-lip said of lockdown methods:
“Such an approach, is close-minded, coercive, and inflexible.”
To contain and observe the virus, they consider that to test and track and to mitigate unnecessary risk until you know what you are dealing with and find solutions, is far more effective. The numbers prove them to be right. In addition, without lockdown, the South Korean economy could function on at least a basic level. They have tested 100,000 people daily since the beginning of the outbreak, have drive through and walk-in centre testing, and test and track. Everyone is encouraged to wear a mask. As to infringement of civil liberties vs public safety issues, Choi Jaewook from Korea University and senior official at the Korean Medical Association added:
“Disclosing information about patients always comes with privacy infringement issues, but should be strictly limited. It should not be about their age, their sex, or their employers.”
Kim Woo-Joo, Professor of Infectious Diseases Korea University College of Medicine:
“South Korea is a democratic republic, we feel a lockdown is not a reasonable choice,”
Since infection can gain entry to the system through the eyes, as well as the nose and mouth through ACE2 receptors in the mucous membranes, Kim also recommends wearing glasses, especially in enclosed spaces where the ‘aerosol effect’ spread is possible. He is critical of the World Health Organisation’s advice that masks were not necessary. He said that the WHO’s possible motivation for this advice was:
“to discourage the public hoarding of masks because medical professionals needed them more and masks in the US and the West are in short supply.”
Masks should be KF94, N95 or higher spec. When questioned as to the importance of wearing a mask he added:
“Why else would they be worn in hospitals? During SARS (2003) and MERS (2015) masks were proven to work”.
To date, no health care workers in South Korea have been infected by Covid-19.
“That experience showed that laboratory testing is essential to control an emerging infectious disease. The MERS experience certainly helped us to improve hospital infection prevention and control.”
Kim considers that anyone with a sore throat, fever or cough should be tested. In South Korea you can also pay for a test even if you have no symptoms or think you may be asymptomatic, If you test positive you are refunded by the government.
Compared to Europe and the UK, fatalities in Germany are extremely low. To date approximately 5,600 deaths in Germany, compared to 19,506 reported in the UK, 26,976 in Italy and 22,524 so far in Spain. Germany have four times as many ICU beds as the UK and a very strict regime of testing, isolating and treating early. Twenty one percent of Germans are over 65, yet only 20% of cases in Germany affect the over 60’s, In the UK, Spain and Italy, 50% of cases of Covid-19 affect the over 60s, significantly higher than in Germany. German hospitals are also well equipped with PPE.
In the US, many companies have effectively been requisitioned by Trump to produce PPE, ventilators and any other equipment their health services and workers need to deal with this crisis, so much so, they have an excess. But even Trump is beginning to regret letting his Chief Scientific Adviser, Anthony Fauci, take centre stage. Leaders are elected to lead not to be outflanked by unelected advisors who have little place on the podium, and certainly not at the centre of the room. Middle-class Americans across many US States are protesting as they see their economic future slipping away. Rightly, they want to get back to work, to claw back the last few months’ losses, to save their businesses and their futures.
When Covid-19 first hit Wuhan City, a city the size of London, with a population of 11 million, China systematically began to buy up supplies of any PPE they could procure from around the world in order to protect their own population. They knew Covid-19 would potentially be a huge threat to their entire country and its economy. China’s methods of containing the virus in Wuhan were brutal. People were locked in their flats to die or dragged from their homes into hospitals. Before lockdown was enforced, 5 million people left the city in an exodus from train stations and on last flights out of the airport. On 23rd January, China closed its internal borders isolating Wuhan and many other cities in Hubei province. China’s external borders having been left open would see the virus spread worldwide.
China had created a demand for medical equipment and they had 98% of the supply. They had complete control of how much to charge for that equipment, even if the product was substandard, and they could decide when it would be received. It had total control of the supply chain. China began, and still is, selling supplies back to countries they procured equipment from in January, in some cases at huge mark-ups, sometimes as in the case of swabs, at 100 times the price they would have paid before the outbreak.
In China, many companies require up front payment made on the same day. For example, the antibody test-kits supplied to the UK, which turned out to be unreliable, were paid for up front without being tested by UK officials, and the UK had to go and pick them up from China with the threat that otherwise those goods would simply be sold to someone else. It is a suppliers dream. So £20 million pounds of British tax payers money went to the country that created the demand for the product in the first place. Those antibody test-kits sit in boxes in a warehouse in the UK in the hope that perhaps the component parts can be ‘re-purposed’.
Never before have so many nations been held captive to one supplier. Preferential treatment for supplies has been given or withheld by the CCP to countries either sympathetic or hostile to their regime.
April 6th 2020, The Asia Times reported:
“China imported about 2.5 billion healthcare items, including visors, masks, gloves and ventilators, between January 24 and February 29, according to a report by China’s national customs authority, leaving frontline medical staff in scores of countries without protective equipment just as the virus hit. Now those Covid-19 infected nations are having to buy it back at often highly inflated prices, according to various reports, handing the Chinese a diplomatic if not commercial coup as they dictate where supplies of essential life-saving equipment is and isn’t shipped.”
A look at the Chinese Customs Authority Website, under the ‘statistics’ tab makes interesting reading, especially with regard to ‘semiconductors’ and ‘circuit boards’ being imported in March. This will tell you much about the Chinese agenda in the tech industry and their huge internal market.
http://english.customs.gov.cn
To be clear, this situation has arisen because of years of the West choosing to have its product produced in China. Outsourcing. This includes the practice of selling or the stealing of IP. The result is a hollowing out of the West’s industrial manufacturing and intellectual product base and future expertise, all for short-term financial gain through cheaper means of production and labour costs and therefore profit. In the US it is called ‘unbundling’,
“in some cases, unbundling doesn’t mean a company has sold off its bundled product line, division, or subsidiary. It could mean it has split operations into different businesses while still maintaining control of each business. When this type of unbundling occurs, the newly-formed companies usually have a great opportunity for success in the future.”
China have capitalised on this trend at the expense of the West and become exponentially more powerful and wealthy because of this shortsighted and immoral practice of Western businesses and corporates’ greed. This model favours the big corporates that make huge profits by outsourcing which squeezes homegrown companies out of the market. It allows big buyouts and M&A’s, as smaller to medium-sized companies producing quality goods can no longer compete and are cut up and sold off, or become a subsidiary where their IP is farmed out to China or Asia to a huge and growing market. For the West, this is economic suicide.
There is disbelief that one country, China, run by the CCP, now controls the means of production and supply of basic everyday medicines and their component parts and equipment. Electorates are wondering how our governments’ could have let this happen?
In country’s that have imposed strict security measures over their electorates, there is an unease and scepticism towards both the government and their scientific advisors, as people have watched their economies crash and their most basic human rights removed.
As with any experiment, it has produced a number of variables, and you can’t help but think our leaders are now trying to regain control of these variables, rather than of the virus itself.
“Power newly won is always harsh” – Hephaestus – Aeschylus – Prometheus Bound – 430 BC
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theduran--2020-04-27--Pandemic Opportunities Arise for Trump but Will He Take Them?

Authored by Tim Kriby via The Strategic Culture Foundation : The Coronavirus Pandemic much like any crisis , in a political sense , opens the doors for new opportunities .
It seems as though governments can not make major changes without a strong boot in the rear from some set of rough circumstances .
Like it or not , political action requires a catalyst .
Trump , the man who dreamt of Making America Great Again now has the big overarching excuse he needs to push his agenda onto the nation , but the question is just how can the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic to his advantage ?
Firstly , it is important to note that there is nothing inherently morally evil in exploiting a crisis for political gains , unless you were the one who created the crisis in the first place .
Again it can not be understated , crisis is the catalyst for sweeping political action , and we shouldn ’ t blame anyone for striking while the iron is hot .
Most people who do all the loud virtue signaling about tragedies being exploited by politicians seem to always go silent when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s all put on our big boy pants and accept that politicians , can , will and probably should use opportunities from dark days so long as they were not the ones who darkened them in the first place .
The same people who yesterday argued for an open world with no borders are the same ones who will beg for totalitarian levels of protection to “ save ” their lives from even the most minor of threats .
This is probably why the heavy restrictions on international travel that are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little to no resistance .
2020 feels like a trip back in time to a far less globalized and more local world that seems to have arisen at least semi-willingly .
In this context , now is the perfect time for Trump to attack illegal immigration and migrant workers .
Migrant labor is often very damaging to the host country , and is more often than not , also bad for the migrants themselves .
It undercuts the cost of labor making locals lose their jobs only to have them given to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like slaves .
This also allows the governments of the nations they came from to continue their sloth and ineptitude as their young/active populace has a means of finding work elsewhere and not fighting for change at home .
This a lose/lose situation and Trump knows it .
However , there is a persistent belief on the Left , that migrant labor is some kind of necessity and can not be avoided .
Some of the most extreme Liberals in America fear that the U.S. might starve without migrant labor helping out down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really the case ?
Can America really starve to death in the 21st century without exploitable semi-slave labor ?
Apparently not , as about half of people who work on U.S. farms are still surprisingly American-born .
Upping salaries to attract U.S. citizen farm hands would probably not drive up food costs anywhere near what the pro-migrant crowd would suggest .
Modern farming does not require hordes of hands to get the corn on store shelves .
Paying Americans a lot more to do the same job would seem to some to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a crisis , so the normal rules go out the window .
Trump right now ( especially with extremely cheap oil to compensate for labor cost increases ) can prove that migrant workers were never really needed .
Foreign , mostly illegal grunt workers , used to be a victim in the public ’ s eyes , but now they are plague carriers that can be removed with the free hand of a regulated market forcing Americans into their stead .
A large part of Making America Great Again is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 an hour to deal with beets would sure help move the country back towards greatness .
Additionally , due to this panic , Trump could attack those who are trying to give birth to anchor babies , and increase the severity of travel bans from countries he doesn ’ t like .
Both of these options are on the table at the moment while the virus is hot .
Migrant labor was a key focus of Trump ’ s campaign , but there are many other aspects to closed borders that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globalized America seems to be a much poorer and weaker one , this is the chance for Trump to put up the right economic “ walls ” to restore the country .
Trump blamed “ Chy-nuh ” for the virus outbreak , and he can thus blame them for America ’ s economic downturn , which means he is justified by bureaucratic logic to do anything he can to rid of American dependence on China .
Trump has wanted to do this from day one of his presidential campaign but only now does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump says America is “ winning ( the ) war ” on the Coronavirus , which really doesn ’ t make any sense .
How do you wage war on a virus ?
Then again , let him call it whatever he wants if it is going to be an excuse to re-industrialize America as if a real war was going on .
Eliminating dependence on China is good for the U.S. if the virus provides the catalyst to start this process then so be it .
It Isn ’ t “ Welfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has already stolen some of Andrew Yang ’ s thunder by deciding to give money back to the taxpayers to help them survive the Covid-19 Crisis .
For Conservatives , like the kind Trump claims to be , handouts and Roosevelt Era Welfare policies are seen as the devil .
But , if the President were to shove Universal Basic Income down the throats of the nation it would be a massive win for the Right as it would absolve the government of many of its duties and pointless programs , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ” to be ushered in .
If everyone gets back a $ 1000 or so from the government per month , then it can be legally/logically assumed that as long as the person receiving the money is sane then they have the means to take care of themselves without the State being involved .
This strategy could eliminate the need for all sorts of bulky inefficient bureaucratic monstrosities like food stamps , vouchers and various forms of “ assistance ” .
This would allow the government to vastly reduce its size as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the populace and let them deal with their own problems themselves , which just so happens to be part of the American Way – Personal Responsibility .
And for those who waste their money , well too bad , you had your chance , the government gave you the bootstraps , you chose not to pull yourself up .
Many of the media elites who hate Trump for reasons that they can not put into cohesive arguments have found themselves to be “ Non-Essential ” during the crisis and have to stay home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remind society that doctors and the guys who work at grocery stores do more for society than rappers with the prefix “ lil ” in front of their names .
This new glaring divide between Essential and Non-Essential labor could be very exploitable by Trump as a means to focus positive government attention on the Essentials as the backbone of his MAGA vision .
It would not be surprising at all for them to receive some support from the President in the near future , especially in an election year .
Two new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to the pandemic and this divide , like all divides , is exploitable and will surely be exploited by politicians .
Trump and the Republican Right hate taxes and blame them for economic stagnation .
Well , the economy of the U.S. is stagnating due to the Coronavirus , so Trump really has carte blanche to go on an executive order tax slaying spree or at least propose one to his boys in Congress for them to fight for in a more constitutional way .
It is very surprising that Trump hasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is theft ” mantra , but now would be a good time , any excuse to ease bureaucracy and keep Americans ’ money in their pockets is urgent and justified thanks to the pandemic .
Trump has the justification to kill pretty much any taxation that he sees fit .
Obviously , real human lives have been lost to this disease internationally and that is a tragedy .
No one wants their life , or the lives of their friends and family to be cut short .
But the situation the world is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very MAGA-ish transformations in American society if Trump is actually willing to jump on the wave and ride it out .
Right now the crisis is glowing hot , the economy needs help/action , borders are now trendy again , and despite it all the U.S. is still the most powerful nation on Earth .
Oh , what a lovely time it is for a charismatic President to push forward some pro-American objectives .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Authored by Tim Kriby via The Strategic Culture Foundation:
The Coronavirus Pandemic much like any crisis, in a political sense, opens the doors for new opportunities. It seems as though governments cannot make major changes without a strong boot in the rear from some set of rough circumstances. Like it or not, political action requires a catalyst. Trump, the man who dreamt of Making America Great Again now has the big overarching excuse he needs to push his agenda onto the nation, but the question is just how can the President of the United States use this pandemic to his advantage?
Firstly, it is important to note that there is nothing inherently morally evil in exploiting a crisis for political gains, unless you were the one who created the crisis in the first place. Again it cannot be understated, crisis is the catalyst for sweeping political action, and we shouldn’t blame anyone for striking while the iron is hot. Most people who do all the loud virtue signaling about tragedies being exploited by politicians seem to always go silent when the exploitation serves their interest. Let’s all put on our big boy pants and accept that politicians, can, will and probably should use opportunities from dark days so long as they were not the ones who darkened them in the first place.
A Borderful World
The same people who yesterday argued for an open world with no borders are the same ones who will beg for totalitarian levels of protection to “save” their lives from even the most minor of threats. This is probably why the heavy restrictions on international travel that are being put into place have so far met little to no resistance. 2020 feels like a trip back in time to a far less globalized and more local world that seems to have arisen at least semi-willingly. In this context, now is the perfect time for Trump to attack illegal immigration and migrant workers.
Migrant labor is often very damaging to the host country, and is more often than not, also bad for the migrants themselves. It undercuts the cost of labor making locals lose their jobs only to have them given to an exploitable/expendable group of people to do them like slaves. This also allows the governments of the nations they came from to continue their sloth and ineptitude as their young/active populace has a means of finding work elsewhere and not fighting for change at home. This a lose/lose situation and Trump knows it.
However, there is a persistent belief on the Left, that migrant labor is some kind of necessity and cannot be avoided. Some of the most extreme Liberals in America fear that the U.S. might starve without migrant labor helping out down on the farm, but is this really the case? Can America really starve to death in the 21st century without exploitable semi-slave labor?
Apparently not, as about half of people who work on U.S. farms are still surprisingly American-born. Upping salaries to attract U.S. citizen farm hands would probably not drive up food costs anywhere near what the pro-migrant crowd would suggest. Modern farming does not require hordes of hands to get the corn on store shelves. Paying Americans a lot more to do the same job would seem to some to be non-viable under normal economic conditions, but this is a crisis, so the normal rules go out the window.
Trump right now (especially with extremely cheap oil to compensate for labor cost increases) can prove that migrant workers were never really needed. Foreign, mostly illegal grunt workers, used to be a victim in the public’s eyes, but now they are plague carriers that can be removed with the free hand of a regulated market forcing Americans into their stead. A large part of Making America Great Again is a Living Wage and paying U.S. citizens $20 an hour to deal with beets would sure help move the country back towards greatness.
Additionally, due to this panic, Trump could attack those who are trying to give birth to anchor babies, and increase the severity of travel bans from countries he doesn’t like. Both of these options are on the table at the moment while the virus is hot. Migrant labor was a key focus of Trump’s campaign, but there are many other aspects to closed borders that he could work with right now. A globalized America seems to be a much poorer and weaker one, this is the chance for Trump to put up the right economic “walls” to restore the country.
In Case of Fire Break China
Trump blamed “Chy-nuh” for the virus outbreak, and he can thus blame them for America’s economic downturn, which means he is justified by bureaucratic logic to do anything he can to rid of American dependence on China. Trump has wanted to do this from day one of his presidential campaign but only now does he really have the political inertia.
Trump says America is “winning (the) war” on the Coronavirus, which really doesn’t make any sense. How do you wage war on a virus? Then again, let him call it whatever he wants if it is going to be an excuse to re-industrialize America as if a real war was going on. Eliminating dependence on China is good for the U.S. if the virus provides the catalyst to start this process then so be it.
It Isn’t “Welfare” If You Are Responsible For It
Trump has already stolen some of Andrew Yang’s thunder by deciding to give money back to the taxpayers to help them survive the Covid-19 Crisis. For Conservatives, like the kind Trump claims to be, handouts and Roosevelt Era Welfare policies are seen as the devil. But, if the President were to shove Universal Basic Income down the throats of the nation it would be a massive win for the Right as it would absolve the government of many of its duties and pointless programs, and be a fantastic excuse for “small government” to be ushered in.
If everyone gets back a $1000 or so from the government per month, then it can be legally/logically assumed that as long as the person receiving the money is sane then they have the means to take care of themselves without the State being involved. This strategy could eliminate the need for all sorts of bulky inefficient bureaucratic monstrosities like food stamps, vouchers and various forms of “assistance”. This would allow the government to vastly reduce its size as it would just throw monthly checks at the populace and let them deal with their own problems themselves, which just so happens to be part of the American Way – Personal Responsibility. And for those who waste their money, well too bad, you had your chance, the government gave you the bootstraps, you chose not to pull yourself up.
Celebrities are Non-Essential
Many of the media elites who hate Trump for reasons that they cannot put into cohesive arguments have found themselves to be “Non-Essential” during the crisis and have to stay home. Furthermore, the Coronavirus has helped remind society that doctors and the guys who work at grocery stores do more for society than rappers with the prefix “lil” in front of their names.
This new glaring divide between Essential and Non-Essential labor could be very exploitable by Trump as a means to focus positive government attention on the Essentials as the backbone of his MAGA vision. It would not be surprising at all for them to receive some support from the President in the near future, especially in an election year. Two new dividing groups in American society have emerged due to the pandemic and this divide, like all divides, is exploitable and will surely be exploited by politicians.
Taxation Is Theft Says Robin Trump
Trump and the Republican Right hate taxes and blame them for economic stagnation. Well, the economy of the U.S. is stagnating due to the Coronavirus, so Trump really has carte blanche to go on an executive order tax slaying spree or at least propose one to his boys in Congress for them to fight for in a more constitutional way.
It is very surprising that Trump hasn’t jumped on the “taxation is theft” mantra, but now would be a good time, any excuse to ease bureaucracy and keep Americans’ money in their pockets is urgent and justified thanks to the pandemic. Trump has the justification to kill pretty much any taxation that he sees fit.
MAGA Time Is Now
Obviously, real human lives have been lost to this disease internationally and that is a tragedy. No one wants their life, or the lives of their friends and family to be cut short. But the situation the world is in has the potential to create some very MAGA-ish transformations in American society if Trump is actually willing to jump on the wave and ride it out. Right now the crisis is glowing hot, the economy needs help/action, borders are now trendy again, and despite it all the U.S. is still the most powerful nation on Earth. Oh, what a lovely time it is for a charismatic President to push forward some pro-American objectives.
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