AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS ADDICT

Must Reads For The Week 5/2/20

Posted May 3, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Government and Politics, Miscellaneous
Tags: Benefits Vs Costs, Cartoons, Corona Virus, Coronavirus Lockdown, Dr. Knut Wittkowski, Drs Criticizing Stay at Home Order video shut down., Founding Principles, Quarantine Is Human Catastrophe, Satirical Headlines from The Babylon Bee, South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem, Uncommon Knowledge Interview, Victor Davis Hanson, Walter E. Williams

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON – CORONA, CALIFORNIA AND THE CLASSIC WORLD.

Click here if the video is taken down.

If you are shut in and have some time. Watch this interview. VDH is always insightful. If you don’t have time here are some highlights.

He is at his farm in California being interviewed by Peter Robinson. He starts out talking about what is going on in California literally right outside his window.

But the question from 19:24 to 22:33 sets up this response (22:33 to 25:15)

“I think it’s important we don’t worship science on an alter…….”

“There is not going to be a magic bullet. Science is an evolutionary process that has a bad and a worse choice. But we want immediate and instant perfection”

“So if you tell somebody today, especially in the coastal corridors and elite global community, that if you’re not sixty and your in pretty good health, you’ve got a 99.9% chance of not dying from this virus. They will tell you, I’m can’t take that risk. Because one in a thousand is not good enough for me. Because I’m a blank, blank, blank, I’m a financier, I’m a college administrator, I’m a media elite and the world is so perfect I’m not going to risk it. And more importantly they are shielded.”

“And this is the central truth of this entire epidemic. who are the hero’s of this epidemic? I haven’t called my financial planner. I’ not helped at all by the Stanford Vice Provost of Diversity Inclusion. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think that Rachel Maddow is doing to save the United States. You know who is? Javier Lopez right now working in the almond fields. Or Joe Smith driving all night to Cosco to get toilet paper their by 6 am. Or the guy you call when your freezer blows up and you need food. And he sows up from Home Depot ad he doesn’t have a mask on and you say” Oh my God he doesn’t have a mask on,” because he’s breathing hard because he’s trying to get you a new freezer.”

“I think that’s been good. Because it really tells us that the essentials of life never change. they’re food, fuel, health, housing. And if you can’t get food. If you can’t go to a food market. If you can’t go to a Home Depot to fix something. If you can’t get fuel for your heating. You are not going to live. You can deal without all the other stuff.”

“There are people in the shadows that we neglected. We thought they were global losers and didn’t make it. I was thinking the other day, I was reading Richard the III, just for the heck of it, and I thought this must be a financial planner when a circuit breaker goes out or a baffle on his toilet doesn’t work he’ll say, “Handy man, Handy man, my kingdom for a handyman,”because he’s helpless.”

Starting at 25:20 he talks about China. Here is an excerpt:

“China is taking advantage of the crisis. China, my god, they have a better understanding of our mind than we do. They’re the most brilliant propagandists I’ve ever seen in there dealings with the western liberal mindset…..”

“…..People are starting to blame the Chinese. But remember the difference is that this media…..which is 93% negative to the Presidency, has been regurgitating Chinese talking points. And they’ve said this till were blue in the face that China is being blamed byTrump to deflect from his own culpability. That”s what they’re professing. We’re not getting through our media a dispassionate disinterested view of the threat China poses. I don’t think that’s going to be sustainable. You know why I don’t?”

“Because the modern left worships at the alter of the European Union. and the feel we want to be where the EU is in ten years. And The EUu is sick of China……because they have a much thinner margin of error in terms fuel supplies, GDP, unemployment and there very angry. And so are Canada, Australia, and Mexico. So I don’t see the propaganda is going to work indefinitely. And the other thing is the left wasn’t too worried about Chinese military domination or economic domination………They focused on human rights violations ad China has a whole potpourri of these…..”

“What I’m worried about most is not that we are going to decouple, because we are. But there are two things that really worry me. One is the process of decoupling. Sort of like a divorce…..there all happy after it’s over…..but during the process both sides lie and connive, and were not lying and conniving. I think the Chinese are not going to allow bank accounts to be unfrozen. They’re Not going to compensate companies for their factories and their investments or ay of the money thats stuck over there in China.”

” The second thing is yes we have to have pharmaceuticals. Yes we have to have rare earth minerals. Yes we have to have military technology. Yes we have to have medical supplies.”

but we have spent a large portion, percentage, of our K through 12 and our under graduate experience and our professional schools on what the Chinese would call “fluff”. Social science dash studies courses and we are not turning out the STEM (science, technology, engineering math) students or the math engineering people the we need to get a grip on these key enterprises…… I don’t think we’re prepared yet to be autonomous in the areas we need to be. And we are going to have to be careful because China has a hold over those supply chains.”

At 53:45 he is asked place the U.S, at this present moment in history, to a point the history of the Roman Empire. This is interesting. Watch the last few minutes. It is a really good summation of where we are today.

WALTER E. WILLIAMS – BENEFITS VS. COSTS AND COVID-19

I’ve written about this in two previous articles, Thoughts About Covid-19 Pandemic, Panic, Power, and Solutions? Or Trade Offs?

But Walter E. Williams does a better job at explaining things than most of us. Let him do what he does best.

Excerpts from the article:

“One of the first lessons in an economics class is everything has a cost.”

“That’s in stark contrast to lessons in the political arena where politicians talk about free stuff.”

“In our personal lives, decision-making involves weighing costs against benefits. Businessmen make the same calculation if they want to stay in business.”

“It’s an entirely different story for politicians running the government where any benefit, however minuscule, is often deemed to be worth any cost, however large.”

“Related to decision-making is the issue of being overly safe versus not safe enough. Sometimes, being as safe as one can be is worthless. A minor example: How many of us before driving our cars inspect the hydraulic brake system for damage?”

“We’d be safer if we did, but most of us just assume everything is OK and get into our car and drive away. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 40,000 Americans lose their lives each year because of highway fatalities. Virtually all those lives could be saved with a mandated 5 mph speed limit. Fortunately, we consider costs and rightfully conclude that saving those 40,000 lives aren’t worth the costs and inconvenience of a 5 mph mandate.”

“With the costs and benefits in mind, we might examine our government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first thing to keep in mind about any crisis, be it war, natural disasters or pandemics, is we should keep markets open and private incentives strong. Markets solve problems because they provide the right incentives to use resources effectively. Federal, state and local governments have ordered an unprecedented and disastrous shutdown of much of the U.S. economy in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.”

“There’s a strictly health-related downside to the shutdown of the U.S. economy ignored by our leadership that has been argued by epidemiologist Dr. Knut Wittkowski, formerly the head of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design at Rockefeller University in New York City.”

“Wittkowski argues that the lockdown prolongs the development of the “herd immunity,” which is our only weapon in “exterminating” the novel coronavirus — outside of a vaccine that’s going to optimistically take 18 months or more to produce. He says we should focus on shielding the elderly and people with comorbidities while allowing the young and healthy to associate with one another in order to build up immunities.”

“Wittkowski says, “So, it’s very important to keep the schools open and kids mingling to spread the virus to get herd immunity as fast as possible, and then the elderly people, who should be separated, and the nursing homes should be closed during that time, can come back and meet their children and grandchildren after about 4 weeks when the virus has been exterminated.”

“The bottom line is that costs can be concealed but not eliminated. Moreover, if people only look at the benefits from a particular course of action, they will do just about anything, because everything has a benefit. Political hustlers and demagogues love promising benefits when the costs can easily be concealed. By the way, the best time to be wrong and persist in being wrong is when the costs of being wrong are borne by others.”

“The absolute worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic, and possibly its most unrecoverable damage, is the massive power that Americans have given to their federal, state and local governments to regulate our lives in the name of protecting our health.”

“Taking back that power should be the most urgent component of our recovery efforts. It’s going to be challenging; once a politician, and his bureaucracy, gains power, he will fight tooth and nail to keep it.”

In the article it mentions Dr. Knut Wittkowski former head of The Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research design at Rockefeller University. Here is a link to the interview Leading Scientist Claims Lockdown And Quarantine Is A “Human Catastrophe“, at collective-evolution.com. I will put up the video here.

Here is the video.

Click here if it is taken down.

This is what happens when you don’t comply with the big government narrative. YouTube Censors Viral Video Of California Doctors Criticizing “Stat-At-Home” Order, at zerohedge.com.

OUR FOUNDING FATHERS ARE PROUD OF SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. KRISTI NOEM

Although Never Officially Shut Down, South Dakota Governor Unveils ‘Back To Normal’ Plan, by Tristan Justice, at thefederalist.com.

Excerpt from the video:

“I also noted that my role as it relates to public safety is something I take very seriously. But ultimately it is the people themselves that are primarily responsible for their safety,” They are the ones who are entrusted expansive freedoms. They are free to exercise their rights to work, worship, and to play or to stay at home and to conduct social distancing.”

“I’ve been very clear. As Governor, I did not dictate to the people of South Dakota. I did not tell you what activities you could do which ones were officially approved of or not approved of. I didn’t begin arresting or ticketing or fining individuals for exercising their rights. Nor am I going to do that today.”

“……In South Dakota in an unprecedented situation we find ourselves in today it publicly reveals the principles that we hold so dear. It is our people that makes us great. It is not our government……Our State motto is “Under God The People Rule”. That is what our system of government is all about. The people of South Dakota are the source of the power and the legitimacy of our government. Not the media. Not the politicians. Not political parties. That’s a healthy perspective for an elected official to keep in mind…...”

“The plan I’m unveiling today puts the power of the decision making into the hands of the people where it belongs…..I want to thank you for proving the wisdom of our founders by showing that people can and should be rusted to utilize the freedoms and liberties each and every day.“

The number of politicians that speak like this can be counted on one hand. This should give us hope that if we can find one who understands individual liberty and the proper role of government there has to be a few more. The good news is Governor Noem can inspire others to think like she does.

I was in awe when she said “The People of S.D. are the source of the power and the legitimacy of our government. Not the media. Not the politicians, Not political parties. That’s a healthy perspective for an elected official to keep in mind…”

This is masterful. She trusts the people with the burden of responsibility for leading themselves. It is powerful because people respond better when they have skin in the game. She also fires a not so subtle warning shot across the bow of tyrannical media, politicians and bureaucrats.

I have a great deal of respect for Gov. Noem. She is swimming against the current of progressive central planners. But she strikes me as someone who is tough enough to make it all the way upstream.

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

Scientists who Didn’t Predict A Single Thing Accurately For Last Two Months Confident They Know What The Weather Is Going To Be Like In 100 Years, at babylonbee.com.

“WORLD—Authorities in the scientific community who touted faulty COVID-19 models are “pretty confident” they know what the weather is going to be like in 100 years, sources confirmed Wednesday.”

“The scientists say they have settled on a climate model that confirms the earth’s average temperature will be either 1 million degrees Celsius or below freezing, give or take 1 million degrees.”

People Who Go Outside, California Prisons Release Thousands Of Felons To Make Room For Skaters, Surfers, at babylonbee.com.

“We need to free up those prison cells for the really dangerous people, like beachgoers,” said Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference.”

Food Supply Disaster Averted As Chick-Fil-A Miraculously Feeds Entire Nation With Just 5 Chicken Sandwiches, 2 Waffle Fries, at babylonbee.com.

Newly Mustachioed Bill DeBlasio Unveils Special Red Armbands For Police Enforcing Lockdown, at babylonbee.com.

CARTOONS

Political Cartoons by Mike Lester

Political Cartoons by Steve Breen

Comments: Be the first to comment

Must Reads For The Week 4/25/20

Posted April 27, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Must Reads For The Week
Tags: Anthony Fauci Expert, AOC Wants green infrastructure, babylonbee, Bill Of Rights Protects Our Freedoms, Californians flock to Beaches, Cartoons from theburningplatform, Cartoons from therightreason.net, Central planning vs. Voluntary Cooperation, Coronavirus Exposing Tyrants Everywhere, Coronavirus Relief Package Destructive, Cuomo: Get an Essential Job, Experts, Facebook, Gates Immunity Passports, Harverd Prof. Wants Homeschooling Banned, Liberty vs. Tyranny, Michigan Legislature Bucks Gov. Whitmer, Police Drones Surveillance, Processing plants closing. Food Shortages, Satirical Headlines, Social-Distancing Enforcement, States Want Bailedout of Debt, Surveillance State, Twitter Bans Anti-Lockdown Protests, Victor Davis Hanson, Vote Fraud via Vote by Mail, Wisconsin Lockdown protest

F. A. Hayek stated: “The coordination of men’s activities through central planning or through voluntary cooperation are roads going in very different directions, the first to serfdom and poverty, the second to freedom and plenty.”

If we put this into a form of a question it would read something like this:

How will men’s activities be coordinated? Through the decision making of individuals? Or through the decision making of elite central planners?

The Covid 19 panic and corresponding political power grab has shined the light on this question. And how this question is answered has shaped the history of the world since the beginning. It is the fight between Liberty and Tyranny.

Our countries founding was the closest we will ever come to individual liberty. As time has passes we have incrementally moved away from individual liberty and toward tyranny of central planners.

Put another way. Should individuals make decisions for themselves and take on the responsibility and risks of those decisions. Or should “experts” make decisions for all individuals, never having to accept the risk and responsibility when the consequences of their decisions do harm to individuals.

Thomas Sowell poses the question this way: “The question is not, what decision to make? The question is; Who is to make the decision? Under what incentives and constraints? With what feedback mechanisms?

Let’s look at some articles that illustrate the age old fight between who should make decisions. Individuals or central planning “experts”.

TYRANNY BY POLITICIANS AND EXPERTS

Police Are Using Drones To Enforce Social Distancing In America’s Backyards, by Chrissy Clark, at thefederalist.com. Connecticut Tests ‘Pandemic Drone’ To Ensure People Are Social DIstancing Properly, by Sarah Taylor, at theblaze.com. Here are two articles showing the use of drones to spy on citizens. Here is an excerpt from the first article:

“Drone invasions on private property clearly violate the 4th Amendment, and no new laws exist to govern the use of surveillance technology by police departments. Police departments across the nation are taking drone usage upon themselves to violate American liberties in the name of social distancing guidelines, even on private property.”

AI Social-Distancing Enforcement Tool. “You Will Be TRACKED”, at daviddrakesplace.blogspot.com. Watch the short video showing how this technology works. It is scary.

Documents Reveal Feds Are Excited To Create A Mass Surveillance Network, at zerohedge.com. It is scary to think how technology is being used in the surveillance of citizens.

Undercover Cops Arrest 2 Women For Operating Home Beauty Businesses In Violation Of Coronavirus Lockdown Order, by Christian Britschgi, at reason.com. Social distancing “rules” are broken when cops arrest people. And even more so when these people are put in jail. I guess the thinking is; I will put you at risk of getting coronavirus to stop you from putting yourself at risk of getting or spreading coronavirus. But I think this is a show of force to try to intimidate others from breaking the arbitrary decrees of Government.

More From The “New Normal”, (In 50 ‘Darker’Headlines), at zerohedge.com. Here are a list of examples of government.

We Didn’t Flatten The Curve, We Flattened The U. S. Health Care System, by John Daniel Davidson, at thefederalist.com. We were told the lockdown was to prevent the medical system from being overwhelmed. The system hasn’t been. So lets stop the lockdown.

Business Owners Understand Why The Economy Can’t Just Be “Reopened“, by Christopher E. Baecker, at mises.org. Excerpt from the article:

“Certainly “economies can be rebuilt,” but assuming it’ll just happen reflects a level of flippant naiveté similar to that which supposes that entrepreneurs should factor government-shutdown-by-fiat into their risk calculation.”

The Destructive Effects Of The Coronavirus Relief Package, By Thorston Polliet, at mises.org. Government spending and money printing don’t solve economic problems. In fact they cause the economic problems they are trying to solve.

Here Are The Publicly Traded Companies That Quietly Got A ‘Small Business’ Bailout, at zerohedge.com. There is no shortage of people getting in line to get their hands on government (taxpayer) money.

Illinois Senate Democrats Seek Massive Federal Bailout For State, Going Far Beyond Coronavirus Impact, at zerohedge.com. States are trying to use the coronavirus to get out of their massive debt problems. Of course at taxpayers expense.

American Farms Cull Millions Of Chickens Amid Virus-Related Staff Shortages At Processing Plants, at zerohedge.com. At Least 10 Meat Packing Plants Closed In Weeks Across America Stocking Food Shortage Fears, at zerohedge.com. I wonder if the “experts” thought of this situation when they decided to shut down the economy. This could have drastic consequences.

Top Elections Lawyer: Vote-By Mail Is “The Most Massive Fraud Scheme In American History, at zerohedge.com. No comment necessary.

The Unseen Death Toll Of Covid-19 Measures, at mcclintock.house.gov. I guess the deaths caused by Governments response to Covid-19 aren’t important. We don’t understand trade offs.

Anthony Fauci: When Politics Trumps Science, by William L. Anderson, at mises.org. How did Dr. Fauci become THE Oracle when it comes to this disease? Is he the only immunologist in the country?

Excerpt from the article:

“To understand Anthony Fauci, one must understand progressive ideology, and in order to best understand progressive ideology, one needs to read Ludwig von Mises’s book Bureaucracy. The book itself is not about progressivism—indeed, Mises doesn’t mention such a philosophy in his book—but it does explain the decision-making processes that dominate bureaucracies and guide bureaucrats like Fauci. And Fauci is nothing but the consummate bureaucrat, albeit one that can speak in front of a television camera.”

“Progressives share the belief that markets, although they are good at producing useless goods, such as the too many deodorants that Bernie Sanders denounced on the campaign trail, simply cannot lead a great nation, are cumbersome, and have no mechanism by which to meet the real needs of people in society. Experts are needed to guide people in what they should have, from food to clothing to transportation to medical care, and then to lay out the plan for how people should obtain these things.”

“Mises writes that bureaucracies exist to carry out the directives of those in political power and not to engage in policymaking themselves. However, after more than a century of progressive rule the bureaucracies themselves have become the chief instruments of government power, as men like Fauci, with their anticapitalist mentalities and their single-minded approaches to life, are calling the shots. Although most people instinctively understand risks and tradeoffs, public health bureaucrats like Fauci tend to believe that the only thing that matters is the eradication of whatever is coming, no matter what the cost.”

The Real Reason Why A Harvard Professor Thinks Homeschooling Should Be Banned, at zerohedge.com. Children are being taught at home because schools are shutdown. This scares progressives like Harvard Professor Elizabeth Bartholet. Progressives want to indoctrinate your kids under the guise of teaching democratic values and social justice.

Excerpt from the article:

“Ironically, the real problem Harvard Professor Elizabeth Bartholet has with homeschooling is this: “Many homeschool because they wan to isolate their children from ideas and values central to our democracy.”

“Let me rephrase that. Homeschooled children can’t be indoctrinated five days a week, eight hours a day, by an education system that emphasizes political agendas. (And incidentally, our form of government is a constitutional republic. Shouldn’t someone from Harvard who is worried I might not have the knowledge to educate my child know something as elementary as that?)”

“Bartholet defames homeschoolers for wanting to encourage their children toward a particular belief system while touting the belief system that the school system wants to instill. So it’s okay for the public school system to do it, just not for the parents to do it.”

“While Bartholet scorns parents who indoctrinate their kids, she praises the school system for doing so. The American education system is wholly responsible for raising a generation of perpetually offended people who think they’re open-minded but who actually are only accepting of those with the same beliefs.”

“They’re creating a generation of worker bees, of dependent people who’d never dream of revolting against the status quo shown as ideal by Hollywood and the mainstream media. They’re creating adults who don’t know how to handle conflict, who don’t know how to deal with defeat, and who are regularly fearful of imaginary threats. People who are afraid of a tripod or a pop-tart chewed into the shape of a gun certainly aren’t going to be leading the next revolution.”

AOC Deletes Gleeful Tweet On Oil Industry’s Coronavirus Collapse, ‘You Absolutely Love To See It, by Douglas Ernst, at washingtimes.com. She said: “…..this is the right time for a worker-led, mass investment in green infrastructure to save our Planet.”

So lets think about this. At a time when the price of oil is the lowest it has been in decades. She wants to invest in green energy that is more expensive than what oil was at $60 dollars a barrel let alone what it is right now. So did she really major in economics?

AOC Says People Should Refuse To Work After The Economy Reopens, Breck Dumas, at theblaze.com. No comment needed.

Cuomo To Struggling Unemployed: ‘You Want To Go To Work? Go Take A Job As An Essential Worker‘, by Breck Dumas, at theblaze.com. In other words: “Your job isn’t essential you loser. I decide what is essential.” What an arrogant ass.

California Mayor Says Death May Await Shutdown Protesters Who Violate ‘Social Distancing’ Laws, by Dave Urbanski, at theblaze.com. Speaking of arrogant asses. Here is what the Mayor said:

“Make no mistake people who deliberately violate the social distancing laws, and the laws requiring that we all wear a mask will be identified, arrested, and prosecuted.”

“Do not mess with us. You will not endanger the lives of our hardworking fdmilies because of some misguided civil liberties argument.”

“The quote is: Give me Liberty or Give me Death. Being arrested and locked up in an over crowded jail just might result in granting you your wish.”

Dems Plan To Censure Michigan Lawmaker Who Said Trump’s Boosting Of Hydroxychloroqine ‘Saved My Life‘, by Andrew O’Reilly, at foxnews.com. You must tow the party line or else.

These are examples of big tech controlling the narrative. Why do these tech guys hate the free market economic system that allowed them to start small and ultimately become the captains of the tech industry?

Twitter Suspends Account Of Biotech Company Testing UV Light To Treat Coronavirus, at zerohedge.com.

Facebook Bans Civil Disobedience, Removes Posts Organizing Anti-Lockdown Protests, at zerohedge.com.

Twitter CEO Unveils Feature To “Editorialize” Trump’s Tweets As Election Looms, at zerohedge.com.

Did Mark Zucherberg Just Expose Bit-Tech’s Real Endgame? Ousting Trump, at zerohedge.com.

Bill Gates Continues To Push ‘Immunity Passports’ And Tech-Enabled Surveillance State To Combat COVIC-19, at zerohedge.com.

FIGHTING FOR LIBERTY

Wisconsinites Storm The Capital In Protest: We’re Done Staying Home, by Kylee Zempel, at thefederalist.com.

Two Hair Solon Owners In Auburn Ca. Defy Stay-At Home Orders, Both Reopen To Pay Bills, by Bridgette Bjorlo, at fox40.com.

Michigan Legislature Bucks Gov. Whitmer, Votes To Repeal Emergency Powers, by Tim Pearce, a dailywire.com.

Thousands Of Californians Flock To Open Beaches Despite Gov. Newsom’s Pleas Fo Them To Stay Home, by Lauren Fruen, at dailymail.co.uk.

Constitutionalist Sheriffs’ Won’t Enforce Coronavirus Restrictions, by Zoe Nemerever, at greenwichtime.com.

Coronavirus Crisis: Bill Of Rights Protects Our Freedom, by Victor Davis Hanson, at nationalreview.com. Excerpt from the article:

“In this current crisis, the longest if not the first complete shutdown in U.S. history, the freedoms of American democracy are being tested in ways we scarcely ever imagined. Out of nowhere little Napoleonic governors arise to enact decrees prohibiting gardening or strolling on an empty beach — decrees that seem to have little purpose other than to reflect that they can do so. Snitches volunteer to out felonious social deviants who are seen cooking in the backyard with a neighbor. A little horned-devil virus seems to be trying to do what those Russkies never could.”

“Experts with all sorts of Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and J.D.s after their names lecture from authority about what we must right now do — or else! — on the principle that they have a scientific or technocratic prerogative to impress critics of their modeling or their demand that we shut down a $22-trillion economy for “18 months,” if need be.”

“A supposedly disinterested media — found by media watchdogs to be 93 percent negative in its presidential reportage before the virus crisis — envision their coverage of the Trump demon as an endless zero-sum game in which any morsel of good news for him is instantly bad for them.”

“How fortunate, then, that in this current crisis, when one questions the logic of using a misleading denominator to ascertain viral lethality, and thus the logic of basing existential public policies on resulting case-to-fatality rates that admittedly cannot be true, one can (at least for now) keep raising skepticism without being sent to a Chinese-like reeducation camp.”

“We are witnessing the fading moments of Baby Boomer–generation authority. As it vaporizes, it still cannot fundamentally change America with sermons that we “will never go back to normal,” a synonym for “we don’t like lots of things in that bothersome Constitution.” America is currently engaged in a free-fall of angry, unfettered discussion about everything from the wearing of masks to the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine. Tempers rise; false knowledge replicates. Smack-down arguments from authority grow shrill. And, thank God, it all remains legal. Out of the mess, the acrimony can lead to light rather than endless heat.”

“Warn an American that he poses a public threat by illegally and solitarily launching his tiny boat on a nearby empty pond to fish, and he’s likely to do just that — and thereby reveal the absurdity of the functionary who issued such a tyrannical order.”

“Tell a pastor he can’t preach from his car to other car-bound parishioner and, by God, he will do just that — and will be praised by most for his measured civil disobedience.”

“Let criminals out of jail, and what’s a paranoid American city-dweller to do? Obviously head down to the gun store and get in a line for something that shoots something, now for the first time in his life bitching in extremis that gun laws he once found wonderful are far stricter than they should be.”

“Authoritarians and petty fascists, eager to issue endless edicts, molt their exoskeletons, as if under their chrysalis suits they were always caudillos, waiting to be reborn with sunglasses and epaulettes. But a free and empowered people, even in times of mortal danger, long nursed on a Bill of Rights, is hard to subjugate or shut up, even after over a month spent locked up in their homes. Thank God, we have a Constitution quite different from those of European nations, which are themselves far superior to other alternatives.”

“In these strange times, American individualism and the Bill of Rights that birthed it are still proving, for a while longer, too strong for the natural forces of fascism masquerading as “we had to destroy freedom to save it.”

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

Trump Says To Drink Lots Of Water, Media Reports He Told Everyone To Drown Themselves, at babylonbee.com.

Majority Of Americans Would Rather Risk COVID Death Than Endure Any More Skype Lectures From Celebrities, at babylonbee.com.

AOC Drops By Unemployment Office To Tell People How Lucky They Are Not To Have Oppressive Jobs, at babylonbee.com.

Pope Says Driving SUV Is An Unpardonable Sin, at babylonbee.com.

Former Clinton Adviser Calls On Biden To Withdraw Over Assault Allegations, at daviddrekesplace.blogspot.com.

CARTOONS

from theburningplatform and therightreason

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Must Reads For The Week 4/18/20

Posted April 20, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Must Reads For The Week
Tags: Barter is Back, Biden Sexual Assault Allegations, Cartoons from therightreason.net, Coronavirus Exposing Tyrants Everywhere, Coronavirus Lockdown, Covit-19 Patients need Osygen, DOJ FBI Trump Surveillance Russian Disinformation, Government Decids What Items are Essential, Greater Idaho Movement, IG Horowitz FBI Woods Procedures, Man Assested In Park having a catch with daughter, Meat Processing Plants Shut Down, Meat Shortage, Media Bias, Michigan citizens Surround Capital, Michigan Governor protested by Citizens, Michigan Greenhouses Under Order Not to sell, Pelosi Eats Ice Cream, Plastic Is Back In San Francsco, Pope Coronavirus Climate Cchange Reaction, Power Corrupts, rothbard On COVID 19 Panic, Satirical Headlines, The Babylon Bee

POWER IS ALWAYS DANGEROUS. IT ATTRACTS THE WORST AND CORRUPTS THE BEST – Edward Abbey.

Here are some articles showing tyranny at the state and local levels. Fortunately our country was founded on the sovereignty of the individual over the State. People are beginning to push back. Even after decades of our education system not teaching our founding principles, there is still enough left of our culture of freedom to spark this push back.

TYRANNY

The Coronavirus Is Exposing Little Tyrants All Over The Country, by John Davidson, at thefederalist.com. Excerpt from the article: “There’s nothing like a crisis to bring clarity. The response of some mayors and governors to the coronavirus pandemic in recent days has made it clear they think they have unlimited and arbitrary power over their fellow citizens, that they can order them to do or not do just about anything under the guise of protecting public health.”

“Thankfully, the Department of Justice has taken notice of this fledgling authoritarian streak among the country’s mayors and governors.”

“That these officials need to be reminded of that, and in some cases restrained by federal judges, bodes very ill for America. Now more than ever, we need leaders who don’t just care about protecting us from the pandemic, but also care about preserving liberty in a time of crisis.”

Greenhouses Unable To Sell In Michigan Under Extended Order, Banking On May Business, at wwmt.com. Probably the biggest tyrant is Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Her stay at home order lists non-essential goods. Plants were on the list. Greenhouses and stores with garden centers closed because of her arbitrary order. Who decides what is essential or not? Each individual decides what he values as essential. Governor Whitmer making these orders shows her arrogance. It also shows her disdain for the individuals in her state.

Government To Decide What Items Are Essential Purchases And What Things You’re Not Allowed To Buy, at zerohedge.com. It is not just Michigan. Vermont is also flexing its tyrannical power. This shouldn’t surprise anyone since Bernie Sanders is a Senator from Vermont.

Former Police Officer Arrested In Park For Throwing Ball With Daughtere Dur To Coronavirus Social Distancing Rules, at abcnews.go.com. I bet Mayberry Sheriff Andy Taylor would have handled this differently.

California City Fills Skatepark With 37 Tons Of Sand After People Ignore ‘No Trespassing’ Signs, by Shanna McCarriston, at cbssports.com. Tyrants shut down skatepark. Skate borders disobey shut down. Tyrants don’t like their edicts disobeyed. They think outside the box and fill skate park with sand. Certainly this escalation of power will deter the liberty loving borders?

Plastic Is Back: San Francisco Bans Reusable Grocery Bags, 13 Years After Being First City To Prohibit Plastic Ones, by Joseph Wilkinson, at nydailynews.com. The Reusable Bags can become Corona contaminated. So San Francisco is banning them and bringing back the previously banned single use plastic bags. Environmental activists are not happy. They are not willing to make the trade off between a human life and “possible”damage to the planet. They value the planet more than human life.

World’s Largest Pork Producer Shutters Key US Factory After COVID-19 Outbreak, Warns Of Shortages, at zerohedge.com. We can’t consume what is not first produced. Handing out Government checks and printing money via the Fed doesn’t produce goods or services. This money is essentially consumption with no production backing it up. The fact that we are shutting down production because of the virus makes this situation worse. We are consuming more than we are producing. That can’t be a good thing.

Coronavirus XIV: The Good News Is Still There But Not Reported By Mainstream Media, at drbrownstein.com. The main stream media has an agenda. Anything that doesn’t fit the agenda gets ignored. Sins of omission?

Why Central Planning By Medical Experts Will Lead To Disaster, by Gary Galles, at mises.org. Excerpt from the article:

“…..some of the medical experts with media megaphones have put forward potentially catastrophic scenarios and drastic plans to deal with them, reinforced by assertions that the rest of us should “listen to the experts,” because only they know enough to determine policy. Unfortunately, those experts don’t know enough to determine appropriate policies.”

“More important, however, may be that in making recommendations to address COVID-19, those with detailed knowledge of the disease (the experts we have been told to obey) do not have sufficient knowledge of the consequences of their “solutions” for the economy and society to know what the costs will be. That means that they don’t know enough to accurately compare the benefits to the costs. In particular, because of their relative unawareness of the many margins at which effects will be felt, the medical experts we are being told to follow will likely underestimate those costs. When combined with their natural desire to solve the medical problem, however severe it might get, this can lead to overly draconian proposals.”

“……. there is substantial literature documenting the adverse health effects of worsening economic conditions. For just one example, an analysis of the 2008 economic meltdown in The Lancet estimated that it “was associated with over 260,000 excess cancer deaths in the OECD alone, between 2008–2010.” That is a massive “detail” to ignore in forming policy.”

“In other words, the tradeoff is not just a matter of lives lost versus money, as it is often portrayed as being (e.g., New York governor Cuomo’s assertion that “we’re not going to put a dollar figure on human life”). It is a tradeoff between lives lost due to COVID and lives that will be lost due to the policies adopted to reduce COVID deaths.”

“Panic has seldom improved the rationality of decision-making (beyond the “fight or flight” reaction to facing a “man-eater,” when to stop and think means certain death). However, much of media coverage has fed panic. But the illogical and intemperate media attacks against those questioning the rationality of draconian “solutions” drown out, rather than enable, objective discussion of real tradeoffs. And if “Democracy dies in darkness,” as the Washington Post proclaims, we should remember that it does not require total darkness. The same conclusion follows when people are kept in the dark about major aspects of the reality they face.”

‘Let Them Eat Ice Cream’: Multi-Millionaire Pelosi Shows Off Freezer Full Of Gourmet Ice Cream As Thousands Line Up At Food Banks, by Joseph Curl, at dailywire.com. She is unaware of how this looks to regular people. And thank god for that unawareness. Most of us don’t have one Sub-Zero refrigerators let alone two. And we certainly don’t stock our refrigerators with ice cream at $13 dollars a pint (that’s $52 dollars a half gallon). She thinks of herself as our anointed better and we are the rabble. .

STANDING AGAINST TYRANNY

Lockdown-Backlash Begins: Angry Crowd Surrounds Capitol, Demands Michigan Governor Reopen Economy, at zerohedge.com. We have had enough just about enough of these arbitrary edicts by petty tyrants.

‘Social Shredding’: Defiant Residents Grab Shovels, Dirt Bikes After Cali Authorities Dump Tons Of Sand In Skateparks For ‘Social Distancing’, by Amanda Prestigiacomo, at dailywire.com. The people are calling the tyrants bluff. Will the next tyrannical step by government be to arrest or shoot those who disobey. Good luck with that.

We are like the rattle snake on the Don’t Tread On Me flag. The snakes rattle is a warning to not come any closer or I will strike.

Barter Is Back – Locked-Down Americans Are Swapping Malbec For Masks, at zerohedge.com. Maybe Government can shut down businesses. But it can not shut down commerce. Barter and black markets will arise because of government control. Our country was founded by smugglers and black marketeers.

What Would Rothbard Say About The COVID-19 Panic? by Philipp Bagus, at mises.org. Excerpt from the article:

“Governments all over the world are advancing on the road to serfdom, controlling their populations and increasing their power relative to the private sector via increased public spending and new regulations. According to the “ratchet effect,” defined by Robert Higgs, government power usually increases in crisis times. However, when the crisis recedes, government power is not reduced to its initial position. Thus, the long-term victim of the government intrusion may be liberty. More socialist regimes may be instituted. And in these regimes life expectancy is shorter. The greater the power of government, the lower will be the quantity and quality of life ceteris paribus. For instance, the capitalist West Germans had a life expectancy that was about three years longer than that of their East German counterparts.”

NON CORONAVIRUS STUFF

IG Horowitz: ‘We Do Not Have Confidence That The FBI Has Executed Its Woods Procedures’, at saracarter.com. The FBI not only abused power it broke the law. But this is what happens when you give government power during a crisis. After 9/11 we passed the Patriot act. We traded freedom for security. But we got tyranny instead. Don’t let the Corona panic allow government to usurp anymore of our remaining freedoms.

DOJ, FBI Knew Trump Surveillance Was Based On Russian Disinformation, by Margot Cleveland, at thefederalist.com. Most of us have known this for at least three years.

Greater Idaho Movement Is The Latest Indicator Of A Shift Toward Decentralization, by Jose Nino, at mises.org. This is another example push back against big government. People don’t like to be told what to do.

Pope Says Coronavirus Could Be A Reaction To Climate Change, by Vincent Barone, at nypost.com. Excerpt from the article:

“The pope said he wanted a response from world leaders that focuses more on humans and the environment than the economy.”

“I believe we have to slow down our rate of production and consumption and to learn to understand and contemplate the natural world,” he said. “We need to reconnect with our real surroundings. This is the opportunity for conversion.”

I’ve read this whole interview. He never mentions Christ one time. The above quote makes me think he wants us to worship the earth. Isn’t the Pope supposed to bring people to Christ?

10 Interviews Later, Media Still Has Not Asked Biden About Sexual Assault Allegations, by Daniel Payne, at disrn.com. This doesn’t surprise anyone does it?

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

at babylonbee.com.

Skydiving Accident Ruled Death By Coronavirus, at babylonbee.com.

Dems Rush To Defend Kavanaugh After He Puts On Joe Biden Mask, at babylonbee.com.

More Government Officials Calling For Common-Sense Religion Control, at babylonbee.com.

China Impressed By Michigan Governor’s Totalitarian Policies, at babylonbee.com.

Medical Experts Confirm Democrats Have Developed Herd Immunity To Sexual Assault Allegations, at babylonbee.com.

Democrats Erupt In Protests After Planned Parenthood Begins Offering Puppy Abortions, at babylonbee.com.

CARTOONS

the rightreasons.net.

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Observations From The Margin

Posted April 14, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Observations From The Margin
Tags: Civil Liberties, Coronavirus, Costitutional Liberty, Satirical Headlines from The Babylon Bee, Scientifec modeling, Tyrannical Politicians

Observation Tower

“SCIENTIFIC” MODELING

-The “scientific” models for U.S. deaths from the coronavirus haven’t been correct yet. They have been revised down from 2.2 million to 200,000 to 100,000 to 75,000 and now it’s 60,000 which will no doubt be revised again. If “scientific” models, used to predict the future, are wrong by this much and in such a short time, we should be skeptical of “experts” who hold up their models as “science”. Because science is a process used to disprove theories and models. But “experts” use the phrase “scientific models” to give their theories and models credibility without being scrutinized.

-Here is a model: I have a tee time in the spring at 7:30. It is 42 degrees when I tee off. At the turn it’s 50 degrees. When I leave the course at noon it is 62 degrees. So it should follow that it will be 106 degrees at 8:30 tonight. Here is another model: The first round of golf you play this year was an 83. The second round you played you shot a 79. So by the time July rolls around you will be shooting in the 50’s.

-We can see why my models are not workable. Although they might make sense from a math standpoint. The variables in the models are just that, variable. They are not constant.

-In the coronavirus models the most important variable is each individual. But each individual is different in many areas. Each individual’s immune system is different. Each individual will assess the risk of his actions differently. And each individual may act differently tomorrow than how they acted today. How can you model variable variables?

-And by the way my brother is a chemist. He said he did modeling his whole career. He also said he could make a model say anything he wanted it to say.

-The “experts” can’t lose no matter what happens. They can safely say their policies worked to “flatten” the curve. Unfortunately their is no way to go back and try something else to find out what would have worked better. What if we had done what I suggested; Quarantine everyone who was in a risk group protecting them from the virus and let everyone else go about their business allowing the only weapon we have, each individual’s immune system, to fight the virus. If we would have done this, I could safely say my policies worked to flatten the curve. Why? because we wouldn’t have anything to compare it to.

-People are able to assess their own risk. “Experts” don’t possess enough information to make decisions for each individual. They can only put forth one size fits all solutions on individuals who are all different.

-“Experts” think they are smarter than all of us. They think the benighted masses are not capable of making decisions about our own safety. But let me ask you; What happens when a storm hits and stop lights aren’t working because the electric is out? Do wrecks happen at every intersection where the stop light is out? No. People don’t speed through a stop light that is not working. They approach each intersection cautiously. People don’t want to get in a wreck, get hurt, or die.

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

Bernie Sanders Drops Out As Campaign Goals Of Locking Everyone Up, Destroying Economy Already Achieved, at babylonbee.com. Excerpt: “As the coronavirus panic has already accomplished the aims of his socialistic policies, Sanders realized the country didn’t need his public service anymore. Unemployment has skyrocketed, grocery stores have empty shelves, and everyone is confined to their homes on penalty of arrest. This “idyllic paradise” is exactly what Sanders wanted in the first place, so he says he can leave the race satisfied that his vision has been achieved.”

“This once-in-a-lifetime deadly pandemic has already accomplished what socialism aims to do.”

Constitution Dies Of Coronavirus, at babylonbee.com. Excerpt: “According to sources at the National Archives, doctors rushed the United States Constitution to the hospital and were forced to hook the document up to a ventilator after it began having trouble breathing Sunday afternoon.”

“The document reportedly slipped into a coma en route to the emergency room and was in critical condition for many hours. Doctors confirmed the worst: the founding document of our nation was infected with the novel coronavirus. Finally, surrounded by one or two mourners, as most people in Washington abandoned it a long time ago, it slipped away Sunday night.”

“Between both political parties constantly trampling all over the Bill of Rights and stretching and distorting the Constitution for political gain whenever it’s convenient, I just don’t know how much more abuse it could have taken,” said one doctor as he pronounced the Constitution’s time of death: 20:20, ironically.”

“The 232-year-old Constitution has had its share of health scares, nearly being killed in the 1860s, the 1930s and 40s, and the early 2000s, but medical experts say this last crisis was just more than it could take.”

“It had many underlying conditions, of course, already being incredibly sick with Obamacare, Obergefell, Roe v Wade, the Patriot Act, and many more diseases,” said the doctor. “But it’s still sad to see this old boy pass on.”

Everyone Jumps Off Bridge After New Government Order Telling Everyone To Jump Off Bridge, at babylon.com. Excerpt: “…..a new order has been issued: everyone is to jump off a bridge immediately.”

A government official issued the order to solve our current crisis, and everyone immediately complied.”

“Everyone jump off a bridge,” said a representative of the government.

“OK,” said everyone. “If the government says so, it’s probably a good idea. Besides, what can we do? It’s the government. They definitely have the best people working on it.”

“The directive was designed to end coronavirus. Medical experts believe it’s the best, most effective way to stop the virus. Assuming everyone follows through and obeys the order, coronavirus will be wiped out, according to officials. There are no bad side effects, as far as anyone can tell.”

Civil Liberties Declared Nonessential, at babylonbee.com. Excerpt: “U.S.—As of this weekend, based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, all civil liberties have been declared nonessential. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement declaring that any human rights outlined in such documents as the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, or the Bible are nonessential and will, therefore, be disregarded amid the outbreak of COVID-19.”

“After the outbreak is contained, health leaders say the rights may be reinstated in small increments but have made no guarantees.”

“I think we’re going to come out of this whole thing having woken up to the realization that liberty has been insanely overrated and it’s time to move on,” said California governor Gavin Newsom, who was quick to impose the guidelines on his state. “Human rights aren’t even real. Science can’t prove them.”

Liberal Treated With Hydroxychloroquine Hopes He Still Dies Of Covid-19 To Prove Trump Is Stupid, at babylonbee.com. Excerpt: “While Trump has been giving people hope that hydroxychloroquine could save lives, his political opponents have called it false hope and claimed Trump has no idea what he’s talking about. Walton, a lifelong Democrat and progressive, had joined in calling Trump “irresponsible” and an “ignoramus” and now has an opportunity to prove it by simply dying. “It’s such an opportunity, I don’t want to pass it up,” Walton said.”

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Coronavirus Consequences: Intended And Unintended

Posted April 8, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Econ. 101, Government and Politics
Tags: $350K bond For Corona offender Cincinnati, 4th Corona Stimulus Bill, Complex Systems, Corona Stimulus Bill, Coronavirus, Dr. Fauci Immunologist, Economic collapse, Econonic Principles, Experts, Frédéric Bastiat, Government Use of Force, Hydroxychloroquine, Michigan Governor, Panic Buying Cocaine in UK Corona, Prices ration Hand Sanatizer in Denmark, Solutions vs. Trade Offs, Unintended Consequences, Using Phone Data as Corona Surveillance, WHat is Seen and What is Unseen, You Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste

HOW DO EXPERTS VIEW THE WORLD

The lens through which experts see a problem is important in understanding why they make the decisions they do. Engineers, chemists, immunologists, economists, lawyers, psychiatrists, social workers, farmers, politicians, and bureaucrats could look at the same thing and see it differently.

IMMUNOLOGIST

The head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Fauci, is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He sees our current crisis through the lens of being an immunologist. The end he seeks is the eradicate the Coronavirus. He chooses means that he believes will bring about the end he seeks.

What he doesn’t see are the consequences produced, outside of eradicating the Coronavirus, by the means he has chosen.

ECONOMICS

Economics isn’t really about finances, making money, business, profit etc. Economic principles are in play in situations that have nothing to do with money and finances.

Economic principles apply to everything in life. Medics on the battlefield perform triage on the wounded soldiers. They are deciding how to allocate their scarce medical resources, including their time, to the most productive use. Some soldiers have a chance to survive if they get immediate care. Some have wounds that can be addressed quickly and fixed later. Some can’t be saved. Triage is how these doctors make these trade offs. If they spend all their time on a soldier that can’t be saved, others will die who could have been saved and some may lose limbs that wouldn’t have.

Each of us has a limited number of hours (24 ) in a day. And we have an unlimited number of ends to choose from. We choose certain ends and also choose the amount of time we are going to allocate to each.

Good economists see the world differently. They do not see one size fits all solutions in a world of scarce means and unlimited ends. They don’t see a decision as a choice between either A or Z . They see decisions as trade offs between A and Z.

THAT WHICH IS SEEN AND THAT WHICH IS NOT SEEN

Frederic Bastiat was an economist in France during the mid 1800’s. His essay, That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen, starts like this: “In the economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate; it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause – it is seen. The others unfold in succession – they are not seen: it is well for us if they are foreseen. Between a good economist and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference……the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, at the risk of a small present evil.”

I’m not picking on Dr. Fauci. Every profession, by the very fact of being specialized, has built in blind spots weather it is politicians, bureaucrats, engineers, lawyers, psychiatrists or social workers.

We have to understand this reality and do a better job of looking at the trade offs instead of the one size fits all solution. The financial cost, the psychological cost and the high cost of agreement, have to be seen and considered in every decision.

I know our politicians and bureaucrats are not weighing all the costs of the decisions they have been made concerning the Coronavirus crisis. And the reason is they see the crisis not as a problem to be “solved”, but as a chance to increase government power, and shrink the rights of the individual. Because “You Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste.”

ARTICLES

Complex Systems Collide, Markets Crash, by James Rickards, at dailyreckoning.com. Excerpt from the article:

“Complexity theory has four main pillars. The first is the diversity of actors. You’ve got to account for all of the actors in the marketplace. When you consider the size of global markets, that number is obviously vast.”

“The second pillar is interconnectedness. Today’s world is massively interconnected through the internet, through social media and other forms of communications technology.”

“The third pillar of complexity theory is interaction. Markets interact on a massive scale. Trillions of dollars of financial transactions occur every single day.”

“The fourth pillar, and this is the hardest for people to understand, is adaptive behavior. Adaptive behavior just means that your behavior affects my behavior and my behavior affects yours. That in turn affects someone else’s behavior, and so on.”

“Understanding the four main pillars of complexity gives you a window into the inner workings of markets in a way the Fed’s antiquated equilibrium models can’t. They let you see the world with better eyes.”

“People assume that if you had perfect knowledge of the economy, which nobody does, that you could conceivably plan an economy. You’d have all the information you needed to determine what should be produced and in what number.”

“But complexity theory says that even if you had that perfect knowledge, you still couldn’t predict financial and economic events. They can come seemingly out of nowhere.”

“I make the point that a snowflake can cause an avalanche. But of course not every snowflake does. Most snowflakes fall harmlessly, except that they make the ultimate avalanche worse because they’re building up the snowpack. And when one of them hits the wrong way, it could spin out of control.”

The Costs Are Mounting In This Government-Imposed Economic Collapse, by William Anderson, at mises.org. Excerpt from the article:

“What we are seeing is how many people want governments to respond to a situation characterized by uncertainty. In such circumstances, they demand “solutions” that only can make things worse, and there is no better way to make the masses vulnerable to disease than to impoverish them. Furthermore, theNew York Times and the American Conservative’s one-two punch demanding total subjectivity to the whims of government makes it very difficult for there to be even a smidgen of rational discussion as to what is taking place no matter what one’s ideological stance might be.”

“First, instead of assuming that regulators really intended to minimize costs but somehow proceeded to make crazy mistakes, I began to assume that they were not trying to minimize costs at all……… They were trying to minimize their costs, just as most sensible people do.”

“Politicians are rationally risk averse, and when they shift the costs of their decisions upon the people they ostensibly wish to protect, they are not acting out of character, either of themselves or of the political system. That they wreck the livelihoods of millions of people in the process is of no concern to them and their adoring media. Instead, blame the capitalists.”

“If Getting Us Into $6 Trillion More Debt Doesn’t Matter, Then Why Not $350 Trillion?” at zerohedge.com. Excerpt from the article:

“… in case anyone still hasn’t figured it out, the whole “republican, democrat” split of the population in two rival camps is nothing more than theater meant to distract while those in control loot not only the here and now, but also rob the future generations blind. Because the sad truth is that behind the fake veneer of either progressive ideals of conservative values, politicians on both sides have one simple directive: to perpetuate the broken status quo for as long as humanly possible, and get as rich as possible in the process.”

“A Multitrillion Dollar Helicopter credit Drop”: How The Fed Turned $450 Billion Into $4.5 Trillion, at zerohedge.com. This stimulus bill allows The Fed to print $4 trillion dollars. The bill also allows The Fed to bailout anything or anyone it wants. It also allows it to do it secretly. Why can’t I get a $1 million dollar bailout? I’m a great guy! And I’m great at keeping secrets!

Corona Cash Grab: Pelosi, US Agencies Compile Lists For Phase 4 Stimulus, at zerohedge.com. At what point will this massive amount of debt become too heavy for the real economy to prop up. These geniuses think printing money and going into debt have no consequences. Economic reality will eventually win. And It will be ugly.

Michigan Democrat Governor Begs Feds For Hydroxychloroquine Just Days After Threatening Doctors For Prescribing It, at zerohedge.com. This shows what a B.S. game politics is. I will play politics until I need something to save my a$$.

Stimulus Package Projected To Save The Lives Of At Least 85,000 Government Programs, at babylonbee.com. The Bee is great. This headline is funny because it is true.

The Things You CANNOT Say About Coronavirus, by James Corbett, at guardian.org. If I don’t buy in 100% to what the “Experts” say about the Coronavirus, everyone acts as if I have committed a mortal sin against humanity. Most people will cave when it looks like the crowd is against them. I’m not most people.

How Governments Are Deploying Big Data To Enforce Covid-19 Quarantines, at zerohedge.com. And this article: Kansas Using Residents’ Cell-Phone Location Data To Fight Pandemic, by Tobias Hoonhout, at nationalreview.com. These articles give us insight into how tyrannical politicians can be in the name of doing good. This is surveillance without a warrant. This is essentially what the FBI got the FISA court to do to Trump.

Garcetti To Non-Complying Businesses: ‘We Will Shut You Down, at laist.com. Where do these governors get the power to confiscate a businesses property. In reality this is what they are doing with these shut down rules. Do these rules have the force of law behind them or are these Governors using intimidation to get people to do what they want?

$350k Bond For Man Charged In ‘We Don’t Give A F*** Caronavirus’ Video, at fox19.com. $350,000 bond for a second degree misdemeanor? Seriously? Here is what the Prosecutor said: “Millions of Ohioans are following Governor Mike DeWine’s social distancing order. It’s not a suggestion, it’s the law,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said in a tweet over the weekend. “Gathering in big groups is dangerous, especially to our police when they have to intervene. It’s real simple: stay at home or expect to be prosecuted.”

This is all about intimidating people to do something that is an order (Suggestion) and not a law. These are the very real unintended consequences of Government is doing. This guy committed a mortal sin against the powers that be.

From Denmark, A Clever Way To Stop Panic-Buying And Hoarding, by Mark J. Perry, at carpediemblog. This is how you ration scarce resources. Raise the price. But this is really thinking outside the box. One bottle of hand sanitizer $5.73, 2 bottles $143 each. This should be the pricing system for toilet paper and paper towels.

UK Drug Dealer: People Are “Panic-Buying Cocaine And Weed To Cope With Covid-19 Lockdown, at zerohedge.com. In the UK people are panic buying cocaine and marijuana. A dealer said: “…the price of cocaine is set to surge because there are no new shipments coming in from abroad for at least six weeks……When the stock begins to run low, people higher up the chain will charge more or cut the cocaine and decrease its quality.” Economic principles are always in play. Even in the black market. The price will go up to ration the scarcity, or they will cut the quality to extend the supply.

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Must Reads For The Week 3/28/20

Posted March 29, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Must Reads For The Week
Tags: Baby Body Trafficking Reporter Charged by California, Cartoons from The Burning Platform, Congress Insider Trading, Coronavirus Models, Coronavirus Perspective, Coronavirus Slowdown Lowers China Air Pollution, Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Wasteful, DOJ Drops Charges Against Russian bot Farms, Doomsday Pandemic Scientist Wrong About Model, FISA Measure Extended, Media Bias, Nikki Haley Resigns From Boeings Board, Number of Global Deaths by Cause, Obama Era Solar company goes Bamkrupt, Panicked Officials, Satirical Headlines from The Babylon Bee, Social Justice Cult, Solar company Ponzi Scheme

CORONAVIRUS PANIC LEADS TO LACK OF PERSPECTIVE

If you live in a state that has been locked down. Understand that this is a taste of what socialist central planning would be like under Bernie, who is an avowed socialist, or Biden, who wants the same policies but won’t call himself a socialist.

Number Of Global Deaths By Cause – Draconian Muscle Flexing And A Lack Of Perspective, by Cap Allon, at electroverse.net. To put Coronavirus in perspective, look at the chart which shows the causes of yearly deaths.

The Scientist Whose Doomsday Pandemic Model Predicted Armageddon Just Walked Back The Apocalyptic Predictions, by Madeline Osburn, at thefederalist.com. We should be skeptical of computer modeling by scientific “experts”.

Inaccurate Virus Models Are Panicking Officials Into Ill-Advised Lockdowns, by Madeline Osburn, at thefederalist.com. The inaccurate modeling by the scientist talked about in the above article, was used by politicians and bureaucrats to make their decision about the virus.

Media Peddle Bogus Wuhan Virus Stats To Bash America, by Mollie Hemingway, at thefederalist.com. This is just journalists using data to fit their leftist world view.

The Social Justice Cult Is Falling Apart As The World Faces A Real Crisis, by Libby Emmons ans Barrett Wilson, at thepostmellennial.com. Excerpt from the article:

“The social justice set has been shrieking about “lives being at risk” for almost a decade. But now that we’re faced with actual devastation to the human way of life, it becomes clear that it was always only rhetoric. Social justice is the culture that cried wolf.”

Is there Wasteful Spending In The Coronavirus Stimulus Bill? (Spoiler Alert: Bigly!), at zerohedge.com. There is never a shortage of grifters showing up when there is a pile of tax payer money to be passed out by congress.

Air Pollution In China Drops During Coronavirus Slowdown. Lauren Sommer, at npr.org. Are the global warming cultists rooting for the Coronavirus. They believe man is a scourge to the planet. So they have to be happy with the planet getting a measure of revenge. They also have to be happy that the pollution level in China is lower since the outbreak because people are being shuttered in place.

WHAT HAPPENED WHILE OUR ATTENTION HAS BEEN OCCUPIED

Burr Responds – Claims He Sold Stocks Based On ‘News Reports’, at zerohedge.com. My congressman was Speaker of the House John Boehner. Some years ago he was on a local radio show talking about congressmen and insider trading. He said it wasn’t a problem because congress has rules against insider trading. I was so pissed, I called his office and I asked his aide: “if you have a law that isn’t enforced, do you really have a law”?

Since many congressman insider trade because they know that it is “wink wink nod nod” okay. Will the congressional investigators have an incentive to find the truth? Congress should not be investigating their own members.

A Disgusted Nikki Haley Quits Boeing’s Board In Protest Over Bailout Demand, at zerohedge.com. This is not a satirical headline.

FISA: Senate Passes Measure Extending Surveillance Powers, Abuses Not Addressed, at saracarter.com. This is an example of a temporary government policy that was implemented after a the 9/11 crisis that became permanent. The FISA court has trampled all over American citizens constitutional rights. The President should veto this. Especially since FISA was used against him by the FBI.

DOJ Files To Drop Charges Against Russian ‘Bot Farms’ That Fought Mueller Indictment, at zerohedge.com. This just shows the Russia hoax for the scam it was.

California Throws Book At Reporter Who Exposed Baby Body Trafficking, by Thomas Brejcha, at thefederalist.com. I guess being Pro-Life is against the law.

Another Obama Solar Company Burns Out – DC Solar Owners Plead Guilty To Largest Ponzi Scheme In Eastern California History, by Joe Hoft, at thegatewaypundit.com. This is an example of grifters getting in line to steal tax payer dollars. Check out some other Green energy companies that grifted tax dollars who are either bankrupt or faltering, in this post, Government Investment? or Government Waste?

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

Congress Assures Nation They’re Working Tirelessly To Figure Our How To Take Advantage Of This Crisis, at babylonbee.com.

Study: Covid-19 Impacts Men, Women More than All Other Genders Combined, babylonbee.com.

Congress Excite To Find Out What’s In Stimulus Package They Just Passed, at babylonbee.com.

Journalists Investigating Ways To Make Crisis all About Them, at babylonbee.com.

Toilet Paper Crisis Solved As Government Prints Trillions Of Fresh, Soft Dollar Bills, at babylonbee.com.

Planned Parenthood To Offer Drive-Thru abortions During Lockdown, at babylonbee.com.

CARTOONS

From theburningplatform.com

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Solutions? Or Trade Offs?

Posted March 24, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Econ. 101, Government and Politics
Tags: Coronavirus Relief bill, Covid 19 Crisis, Cure Worse Than The Disease, Never let a crisis go to waste, Richard Epstein, Solutions vs. Trade Offs

Diagram of tradeoff

I heard this statement the other day about our present Covid 19 “crisis”: ” Do we save lives and kill the economy? Or do we save the economy and kill lives?

I’ve learned from economist Thomas Sowell that in our imperfect world, there are no solutions, there are only trade offs. What does that mean? It means that the two choices above are not the only choices. These choices are stated as all or nothing categorical decisions. But many of “experts” fail to see the incremental trade offs that can be made between these two extremes.

When a “crisis” pops up, a particular “solution” to the crisis is imposed on us by an “expert”. People who criticize the “solution are usually hit with this statement: “Even if it saves just one life, isn’t it worth it?” My answer to that question is, “NO” it is not worth it.

The question implies that there is no limit to the amount of resources that should be used in order to save just one life. But a price is put on life everyday. If these people were serious about “saving just one life” they would fight to get the speed limit reduced to 20 mph. Would any of us be willing to trade off the economic benefits of a higher speed limit as well as our ability to get places faster, for the lives lost in accidents.

The deaths of coal miners and power line workers are an acceptable trade off to have electricity in our homes. Some of the most deadly professions are fisherman, farmers and loggers. Yet we don’t think twice about the trade off of these lives when we eat crab legs or a steak or build a house.

The point is, there is a trade off between lives lost and the goods and services our free market economy produces. In fact the standard of living produced by free market capitalism has saved exponentially more lives than have been lost in the production of that standard of living.

Swine Flu data from 09-10 shows 60 million contracted the virus and 22,469 died. Influenza data for this flu season shows between 38-59 million contracted the flu and between 23,000-59,000 died. These were no big deal to the media. These lives were an acceptable trade off to the powers that be and the media. So why is our present “crisis” different?

Here are some great articles with great information.

Coronavirus Isn’t A Pandemic, by Richard Epstein, at ricochet.com.

Excerpt from the article:

“But why might the dire predictions be wrong? The theoretical answer to the question of how deadly the virus will turn out lies in part in a strong analytical relationship between the rate of spread and the strength of the virus. Start with the simple assumption that there is some variance in the rate of seriousness of any virus, just as there is in any trait for any species. In the formative stage of any disease, people are typically unaware of the danger. Hence, they take either minimal or no precautions to protect themselves from the virus. In those settings, the virus—which in this instance travels through droplets of moisture from sneezing and bodily contact—will reach its next victim before it kills its host. Hence the powerful viruses will remain dominant only so long as the rate of propagation is rapid. But once people are aware of the disease, they will start to make powerful adaptive responses, including washing their hands and keeping their distance from people known or likely to be carrying the infection. Various institutional measures, both private and public, have also slowed down the transmission rate.”

“At some tipping point, the most virulent viruses will be more likely to kill their hosts before the virus can spread. In contrast, the milder versions of the virus will wreak less damage to their host and thus will survive over the longer time span needed to spread from one person to another. Hence the rate of transmission will trend downward, as will the severity of the virus. It is a form of natural selection.”

Coronavirus Overreaction, by Richard Epstein, at ricochet.com.

Here is a point that jumps out at me: “Italy has taken the lead with 6,077 deaths……… which stems, it appears, from a conscious decision not to supply ventilators to anyone over 60.” Death panels anyone?

Excerpt from the article:

“Out of over 367,000 COVID-19 cases reported as of noon March 23, 2020, 16,000 people have died, a rough increase of about 9,500 from the past week. China has contributed about 3,500, a figure that is holding relatively stable — if we are to believe the reporting coming out of the People’s Republic of China — as is Iran’s total of 1,812 deaths (another potentially dubious total). In Spain, the death toll is 2,206. Italy has taken the lead with 6,077 deaths, 85 percent of which are of people over 70, which stems, it appears, from a conscious decision not to supply ventilators to anyone over 60. These four nations make up close to 13,000 deaths or about 82 percent of the total. Taken together, these four countries account for over 13,595 of the 16,097 deaths. The good news here is that the growth rates in both Italy and Spain have turned downward in the past 48 hours.”

“We need a public debate on the political response to COVID-19, and we need it now. I fully understand the need for immediate responses to immediate threats, like fires, but not for crises that may last for three months or more. At this point, everyone knows that people who are elderly, especially those with chronic conditions, should stay out of harm’s way. But that prohibition is self-enforcing because those people know that it is in their best interest to self-quarantine, at least in place of high incidence, but by no means nationally. But for low-risk groups, a different set of precautions may fit the bill — an emphasis on thorough hand washing, reduced work hours, reducing workers per shift, and better availability of ventilation equipment.”

“The central Hayekian principle applies: All of these choices are done better at the level of plants, hotels, restaurants, and schools than remotely by political leaders. Our governors have failed to ask a basic question: When all the individual and institutional precautions are in place, what is the marginal gain of having the government shut everything down by a preemptive order? Put otherwise, with these precautions in place, what is the extent of the externalities that remain unaddressed?”

“Progressives think they can run everyone’s lives through central planning, but the state of the economy suggests otherwise. Looking at the costs, the public commands have led to a crash in the stock market, and may only save a small fraction of the lives that are at risk. In addition, there are lost lives on both sides of the equation as many people will now find it more difficult to see a doctor, get regular exercise, stay sober, and eat healthily. None of these alternative hazards are addressed by the worthy governors.”

Podcast: Richard Epstein Talking With Nick Gillespie About Coronavirus, at reason.com. Listen to this podcast. Epstein makes good sense.

Article here: The Costs Are Mounting In This Government-Imposed Economic Collapse, by William L. Anderson, at mises.org.

Excerpt from the article:

“Federal and local authorities are stretching their constitutional limits well beyond anything our ancestors would have recognized in their attempts to keep people away from each other and prevent social contact.”

“…….. Military terms such as “shelter in place” now are part of ordinary language as governments at every level issue orders, with governors competing to see how they can be perceived as being “in charge” as they bark out increasingly draconian commands, threatening deadly force if necessary.”

What we are seeing is how many people want governments to respond to a situation characterized by uncertainty. In such circumstances, they demand “solutions” that only can make things worse, and there is no better way to make the masses vulnerable to disease than to impoverish them. Furthermore, the New York Times and the American Conservative’s one-two punch demanding total subjectivity to the whims of government makes it very difficult for there to be even a smidgen of rational discussion as to what is taking place no matter what one’s ideological stance might be.

As noted earlier, all of this is a response to the uncertainty of just how much this virus will spread and what its actual effect will be on the health of Americans. What we do know (at least at this point), however, does not exactly raise our confidence in American politicians and the media, especially the elite media.

Prevention Expert:Data Shows Our Fight Against Coronavirus May Be Worse Than The Disease, by James Barrett, at dalywire.com.

Excerpt from the article:

“…..By taking an “at war” approach to fighting COVID-19 — widespread shutdowns and isolation of the entire population — rather than a “surgical strike” approach focusing on the truly vulnerable, Katz argues, we have set ourselves on the path to “uncontained viral contagion and monumental collateral damage to our society and economy.”

“The reason this is so dire, he underscores, is that our current approach is rapidly causing severe damage socially, economically and in terms of public health.”

“I am deeply concerned that the social, economic and public health consequences of this near total meltdown of normal life — schools and businesses closed, gatherings banned — will be long lasting and calamitous, possibly graver than the direct toll of the virus itself,” Katz writes.”

“While the stock market might rebound, many businesses and thus many jobs, may never come back, a result that has massive societal ramifications. Meanwhile, by stretching our limited health care resources “so widely, so shallowly and so haphazardly,” we are likely setting ourselves up for failure on multiple levels.”

Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste

Thomas Sowell: “The first rule of economics is scarcity, there are not enough resources to meet the desires and needs of everyone. The first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics.”

If that is the first rule of politics than the second rule of politics is: Politicians are always trying to increase the power of government. But when a crisis hits that effort increases exponentially.

I don’t like the fact that the multiple trillion dollar “Stimulus” bill will bail out banks and corporations that previously used The Feds printed money to buy back their stock in order to prop up their stock price. You and I also know that this will end up being more like 4 trillion dollars when you add everything up. This 2-4 trillion is all debt. This debt will be purchased directly or indirectly by the Federal Reserve’s printing press. We are piling more debt on top of what we all ready have. This is what we did in the 2008 crisis (TARP Bailout). Non of the 08 debt has been repaid. We have a Empire State building of debt built on a sand foundation. It is totally top heavy like an inverted pyramid. But we’ll address the Fed money printing in another post.

I also don’t like the Democrats 1400 page bill that is nothing more than the democrat policy platform for the 2020 election. They are trying to implement their agenda before the election takes place.

Here are a few things that are in the 1400 page bill. Increased fuel emission standards for airplanes. Same day voter registration, early voting, voting by mail, and something called ballot harvesting (no potential for voter fraud here). Reserve collective bargaining power for unions. Expand wind and solar tax credits. Money for planned parenthood.

The Democrats, Republicans and the Federal Reserve are definitely not letting this crisis go to waste.

These articles have more info in them.

Nancy Pelosi Proposes 1,400 Page Coronavirus Bill Stuffed With Pork, at breitbart.com.

McConnell: Dems Holding Up Coronavirus Relief Over solar Panel Tax Credits, at breitbart.com.

Everyone In America Should Read About Dems Killing Emergency Relief Package, at theblaze.com.

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Thoughts About Covid 19: Pandemic, Panic And Power

Posted March 19, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Government and Politics, Miscellaneous
Tags: Chickenpox Parties, Covid 19 Virus, Immune Systems, Never let a crisis go to waste, Pandemic, Panic, Vaccines

world Corona virus attack concept. world/earth put mask to fight against Corona virus. Concept of fight against virus, danger and public health risk disease. Virus attack isolated on green

MATHEMATICAL RISK

Compared to other “pandemics” the number of people dying from the Covid 19 virus doesn’t measure up. Look here: A Visual History Of Pandemics, at weforum.org. And I know this has a ways to go before it is contained.

We know the number of people who have died form the virus, because we can count the bodies. But we do not know, and can not know, the number of people who have, or have had, the virus. We know the listed number of people who have the virus are only the people who have been tested. But we don’t know how many people have, or have had, the virus who have yet to be tested or will never be tested. So the number of infections is much higher than the posted number. The math is just a guess because it looks like this: Known Number of Deaths/Unknown Number of Infections.

Here are the statistics: Coronavirus Update (Live), at worldometers.info.

People over the age of 60 and people who have existing medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, hypertension, and cancer are where a vast majority of the deaths occur. And most of the people with these medical problems are older people. Here is the breakdown: Coronavirus Age, Sex, Existing Medical Conditions, at worldometersinfo. Access your mathematical risk according to these charts?

An Asian woman storing tissue toilet paper during Coronavirus outbreak or Covid-19, Concept of Covid-19 quarantine. Wuhan epidemic outbreak. Dangerous COVID virus, Doomsday panic people panic lockdown

PANIC

The media has pushed this story hard. It doesn’t matter why. But they haven’t panicked everyone. It has been hard for me to find someone who doesn’t think this is a bit over hyped. Read this article: As Government AuthoritiesUrge Panic Over Coronavirus One Doctor Breaks Rank, at mises.org.

But if you panic enough people on the margin, they can make grocery store shelves look bare. I went to a store to look at what people hoard during a “pandemic”. Here is what I observed. They hoard toilet paper, which I don’t understand at all. Bottled water, which I also don’t understand because the water from their tap is safe. Cleaning products, hand sanitizer, alcohol, pasta, frozen pizzas and cans of soup. Although they don’t buy split pea soup, french onion soup or minestrone. They also don’t buy popping corn or cookies.

But once fifteen to twenty percent of the population is panicked, it seems like everyone is panicked. That’s when the politicians have to step in and “do something”. When politicians see a parade coming down the street they have to get out in front of it so it looks like they are leading.

Our governor in Ohio shut down schools, sporting events, restaurants and Tuesdays primary election, among other things. This raises a few questions.

Why did he shut down these particular activities and allow other businesses, like day care facilities, to stay open? What are the parameters that will make him reopen what he had shut down? Where does he get the power to shut down businesses?

Read this article: Fear Can Spread From Person To Person Faster Than The Coronavirus – But There Are Ways To Slow It Down, at theconversation.com.

Hand holding piece of jigsaw puzzle with word problem & solution.

NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE

After 9/11, individuals in government passed legislation that gave government more power over “we the people”. We had our civil liberties taken away when congress passed, and Bush signed, The Patriot Act. The bill had a sunset clause where congress had to vote on and pass the bill again after a certain number of years.

I was in favor of this bill because of the sunset clause. How stupid was I? I have read enough Milton Friedman to know this quote: “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program“.

We know our politicians and bureaucrats are going to make a power grab because of this “crisis”. Every time a “tragedy” happens in our country, a particular article gets a lot of hits on this site. The article is: “You Never Let A Serious Crisis Go To Waste“. It shows the blue print of how politicians and bureaucrats attempt to expand government power after a perceived or real “crisis”.

Tyrannical power grabs by politicians, bureaucrats and other individuals in government are the norm, not the exception. Here is an example: During this coronavirus panic Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen, of Champaign Illinois, has granted herself the power to ban the sales of guns and alcohol. Another example: Coronavirus patient from Kentucky has police surround his home forcing him to self quarantine. (Will they shoot him if he doesn’t comply?)

The biggest threat from the Coronavirus is the threat to our individual liberty by politicians and bureaucrats using the power of government to “do something” in order to find a “solution” to the “crisis”.

Here are a few excerpts from this article: Coronacrisis And Leviathan, at mises.org.

“…..the growth of government in the twentieth century can largely be explained by patterns of crisis and response. These crises can be real (World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, stagflation) or imagined (inequality, the various isms). In either case new government programs, agencies, and policies are established, purportedly as temporary responses to the perceived emergency. But, as…..history shows us, most of the temporary measures become permanent—either explicitly or in a revised form based on the original.”

“How will leviathan expand—temporarily and then permanently via the ratchet effect—in response to COVID-19? It’s too early to make any definite predictions, but we can make educated guesses based on experience and our knowledge of how governments work.”

Read this article: They Should Have Called It CONTROLavirus, at theburningplatform.com.

Immune bacteria system sign. Antibacterial virus sign. Immune protection antiseptic, anti desease immune icon.

VACCINES AND OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS.

Read this article: Researchers Discovered How The Body Kills The Coronavirus, at bgr.com

Excerpt from the article:

“The coronavirus pandemic is far from being contained, with countries all over the world reporting more and more cases. It’s up to everyone to step up and do their part……….social distancing and hand washing will help do the trick — so that medical systems around the world aren’t overwhelmed. Doctors need time to treat severe cases while some of their peers attempt to develop vaccines or new drugs that will speed up the healing process. The good news for people who catch the new COVID-19 virus is that most people will recover, and that’s because of the body’s immune system. Researchers in Australia have already figured out how the body kills the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and their early results will help others develop new treatments that could extend immunity, and maybe even eradicate the disease.”

“Australian researchers discovered that the human body fights the infection the same way it would deal with the regular flu. The conclusion is valid for mild-to-moderate cases for the time being, which leads to full recovery. It’s still unclear how long the immunity lasts and there’s no guarantee that once healed, the body will not contract the same COVID-19 disease again.”

Are we in a catch 22 situation with regard to Covid 19? There is currently no vaccine for Covid 19. So in order to build up immunity to this virus you have to get infected and recover. But the spread will not only take some of the lives of older people and those with certain medical conditions, the spread might overwhelm the medical system.

Are you old enough to remember “Chickenpox Parties”? Here is an excerpt from an article: Chickenpox Parties: Benefits, Risks, at medicalnewstoday.com.

“People use pox parties as a way to deliberately infect their children with chickenpox. The idea is that the child gets the illness sooner rather than later and builds up a natural immunity to the virus.”

“During a pox party, parents or caregivers encourage uninfected children to play, eat, and interact with a child who currently has chickenpox. This close contact makes it much more likely that the children will catch chickenpox.”

“Chickenpox parties were popular when the vaccine for chickenpox was not yet available. Nowadays, some people who do not want their child to have the vaccine see pox parties as a natural way for them to acquire immunity to the illness.”

I have a couple of questions. Would it be better for individuals and the medical system to allow people, who are not in the high risk groups, to get infected in order to build up their immunity to the virus since we don’t have a vaccine yet? So instead of shutting everything down for 90% of the population who are not high risk, would there be lower cost to the economy and a lower psychological cost for everybody if the high risk groups were quarantined to protect them and allow others to go about their normal business?

CONCLUSION

I have seen two viruses that were politicized in my life time. AIDs and Covid 19. The government didn’t implement any of the measures it has taken to combat Covid 19 even though it would have been easy to contain AIDs. Why? Because the affected group was a politically protected identity group. SARS in 2002, Swine Flu in 2010, Ebola in 2014, and MERS in 2015 were never politicized. And the main stream media and politicians don’t even mention the tens of thousands of people who die every year from influenza. Why?

I am skeptical of the statements of politicians, government bureaucrats and the main stream media. The main stream media has hyped a lot of things over the last three years that have proven to be wrong. So they have no credibility. Politicians are not credible because of their incentive to get reelected by any means. Government bureaucrats have no credibility because all they want is to keep or grow their power.

That is what makes this tough to figure out. We know there is a virus afflicting the US and the world. But what do we know for certain after that? Read a lot different articles and trust your instincts. I hope these articles help.

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Let’s Laugh

Posted February 19, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Miscellaneous

OBSERVATIONS

Are the extreme environmentalists, (those who think man is destroying the planet), cheering for the carona virus or for its cure? Since they are for depopulation as a way to save the planet ……….. Well you can probably figure out the answer.

Do extreme environmentalists realize they are polluting the planet by simply breathing. They pump CO2 into the atmosphere every time they exhale. If they want to save the planet they should stop breathing.

President Obama recently tried to take credit for our booming economy. The same economy the Democrat candidates are trashing.

SATIRICAL HEADLINES

from the babylonbee.

Bloomberg Stops By Daytona 500 To Had Out Speeding Tickets, at babylonbee.com

Bernie Sanders Confused By New Hampshire State Motto ‘Live Free Or Die – ‘Both Of Those Options Sound Horrible, at babylobee.com.

Bernie Sanders Frustrated With Having To Ask For Money Instead Of Just Taking It, at babylonbee.com.

Struggling Biden Campaign Now Offering One Month Of Free AOL For Rally Attendance, at babylonbee.com.

MSNBC Reports Republican Voter Registration Tent Deliberately Rammed Unsuspecting Van In Florida, at babylonbee.com.

CARTOONS

How Can I Help

In Sheep Clothing

DBE7A948-C1C9-4490-BAAE-DFE06E4921F2

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Pithy Quotes from Thomas Sowell

Posted February 13, 2020 by austrianaddict
Categories: Miscellaneous

Thomas Sowell crams so much insight into so few words better than any author I have ever read. I always loved his “Random Thought” articles when he was writing his weekly column. I found out he has a twitter page. He posts what I would call random thoughts on it. Here are some pithy quotes from his twitter page (click here)

This is one of my favorites. “Envy was once considered to be one of the seven deadly sins before it became one of the most admired virtues under its new name, “social justice.”

“What do you call it when someone takes someone else’s money openly by force? Robbery. What do you call it when a politician takes someone else’s money in taxes and gives it to someone who is more likely to vote for him? Social Justice.”

“The political left has never understood that, if you give the government enough power to create “social justice,” you have given it enough power to create despotism. Millions of people around the world have paid with their lives for overlooking that simple fact.”

“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”

“You can see the agenda behind the rhetoric when profits are called “unconscionable” but taxes never are, even when taxes take more than half of what someone has earned, or add much more to the prices we have to pay than profits do.”

“The left’s vision is not only a vision of the world, but also a vision of themselves, as superior beings pursuing superior ends. In the United States, however, this vision conflicts with a Constitution that begins, “We the People…”

Related Articles:

Final Random Thoughts From Thomas Sowell, at austrianaddict. com.

Thomas Sowell’s Random Thoughts, at austrianaddict.com.

Random Thoughts By Thomas Sowell, at austrianaddict.com.

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