April, 2020 archive
The Social Safety Not 0
The Inky reports on the trickled-on in these viral times. A snippet:
And now there is a whole new category of people — gig workers, independent contractors, and self-employed people like Cruse. The federal government’s $2.2 trillion economic relief package for the first time extended unemployment aid to cover those workers when they lose their jobs. Yet most states have yet to update their systems to process these applications.
Tapping the Reserve 0
Thom and Professor Richard Wolff discuss how the Federal Reserve creates money with mouse clicks.
Remember, every currency is a fiat currency. Even diamonds, gold, and silver are valuable only because persons think they are valuable.
Lowering the Barr 0
And the Barr is already pretty damn low.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Trudy Rubin advises us to vet our sources carefully in these viral times.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another responsible gun owner discharges his responsibility.
“He pulled the magazine or the bullets out of the gun but didn’t realize there was still one in the gun. He pulled the trigger at that point and accidentally shot the child,” Spindale Police Chief Eric Shelton said.
Aside:
If you are incapable of knowing whether your gun is loaded, you shouldn’t be playing with guns.
“It’s Every Man for Himself” 0
Dylan Selterman argues forcefully that the disparate reactions to the coronavirus that have filled the news–hoarding food and supplies, purposefully defying “social distancing,” emphasize ‘the tragedy of the commons,” which he defines as follows:
(snip)
But when too many people focus on maximizing their own outcomes, then essential resources become depleted and society suffers.
This is an era when one of our two major political parties no longer believes in the common good.
The Privatization Scam 0
Scott Maxwell tells the tale of a highway project in Orlando, Florida, in which it looks as if the primary thing being privatized is the public’s money. Here’s a bit:
It turns out they’re doing neither.
Part of the project is already a year behind schedule. Five workers have been killed. More than 1,000 drivers and property owners have filed claims for everything from misplaced barrels to chunks of concrete that fell through windshields.
And now there are $125 million in overruns — with no guarantee there won’t be more.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another gun that fired itself . . . .
Also, pigs, wings.
The New Normalcy 0
Methinks Alby has a point.
Not to mention all the folks who have lost employment, income, and savings.
Antisocial Distancing 0
Florida Man (and paramedic) coughs on cashier because he’s fed up with “social distancing,” then defends himself by calling it a joke.