Comments

1

Looks like Space Force's flag makers were openly mocking 'Deep Fake' 'prez' when they designed that unimaginitive creation -- and look, there he is, right on cue, proudly grinning like he just swallowed the cat-bird, thinking it was a probably a hamburgher.

2

Just commenting here to bow down before the glory of pop goddess Charli XCX. So far the singles "forever" and "claws" are just perfect. Looking forward to checking out the whole album.

3

Matt Shea can run for reelection, if he can explain what brand of olive oil is best for Christian cleansing rituals. Napoleon? Colavita?

4

Trump's already said he will veto any bill that has anything about vote by mail or save the USPS. Really important to have Space Force flag, though. If only we could put Trump in a ship and shoot him into space with his flag and oh I don't know maybe prevent total and complete destruction here on earth? Better yet, shoot him into space with a high dose of COVID-19 and let him experience first hand what he has done to the 1,484,285 and counting people in this country who have had it.

5

For the love of all that is Holy, PLEASE do not send out a bunch of checks to people who don't need them. Hint: You can't stimulate an economy that is shut down! It's like trying to reanimate a dead body.

Do some research and send checks to people who actually need them ... Like, ummmm, you know, people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic (I support this use of tax dollars 100%). If you are currently working because your job was not impacted by the pandemic, YOU DON'T DESERVE SHIT.

6

@DanOh -- "If you are currently working because your job was not impacted by the pandemic, YOU DON'T DESERVE SHIT."

But let's say you're a Gainfully Employed Front Lines Worker: let's do ALL WE CAN to KEEP THEM -- And their FAMILIES -- SAFE at Work, even if it costs us $10 or 20 Billion. A damn fine Investment in US, I'd say.

7

@4 -- Excellent idea. Perhaps trumpfy and Musky might pull a Thelma & Louise and rocket out past Mars in a Shiny red Tesla convertible, and soon, one might Hope and we could watch 'em go and maybe have a Partay...

8

@5 I totally agree. Yet the treasury sent out who knows how many checks to dead people the first time around, so actually expecting them to help those who need the help is too much to ask. As it is people are still waiting on their first checks. The Republicans believe that's all Americans deserve because that $1200 check and any unemployment people who lost their jobs might be getting is just too damn much.

Best thing to do if you don't need the $$$ is to donate it to those who desperately do need it. Give Directly is an excellent organization that will give the money to the poorest people. National Domestic Workers Alliance is anther great organization helping people who will get no help even though they have no work. Food banks, World Central Kitchen, and Feeding America are great organizations if you're looking to feed hungry people, and finally Direct Relief will help get first responders what they need.

9

@4 & @7: What is this, nominees for the auntie grizelda awards?

10

@4 and @5: They aren't.

In the first relief package, payments to individuals making over 99K a year are ineligible. Anyone making up to $75K got $1200, and then the payment decreased by a formula. And that was based on 2018 tax returns. Similar degradation formulas will probably apply going forward.

Plenty of working class households need every penny, as others in their household may have lost jobs, or additional costs with kids at home, whatever. Why be mean and begrudge them? Are you democrats?

11

@10 refers to 5 and 8.

12

@11 I am not a democrat, I am a progressive liberal, far left, and I don't believe someone making $75K needs $1200 when we have a whole swath of people in this country who make federal minimum wage (less than $8 and hour) or less (states where waiting tables pays $2.13 plus tips). It is not about being mean or begrudging. It's about a government that is not helping those in need and doing a shitty job all around (though they sure were able to jam through those tax cuts that gave the wealthy billions of dollars, now weren't they)?

My mom lives on social security, her small private pension, and income from her 401k, plus my SSD (which goes to my half of rent/utilities and the rest to the fraction of my health care it covers). My mother will be getting a stimulus check and she will be donating 100% of it (though when will she get it? She was supposed to get it today via direct deposit - not there). My mom pays taxes (federal and state) and her AGI for last year was 34K, the year before that was less because she was not taking distributions from her 401k.

It's not just the stimulus check, which for most people is nothing compared to any income they would have earned in the last two months.

Forcing people to sign up for unemployment and then force them back to work before they even get any money is total bullshit.

Allowing huge corporations to take money meant for small businesses (some got caught and gave the money back - how many did not get caught)?

The PPP loan disbursement being a total clusterfuck that isn't working, because employees were laid off and now are being asked to return to work (and lose their unemployment) even in states where they can't really work - like MA where my sister runs a restaurant and restaurants cannot be open - her employees don't want to return for work they can't earn money on so their employer won't have to pay the PPP loan back).

This entire shit show would not even be necessary if Trump were not such an incompetent asshole hell bent on destroying everything, especially everything put in place by President Obama.

13

"Forcing people to sign up for unemployment and then force them back to work before they even get any money is total bullshit." --xina Bingo.

Made even more Orwellian by the (chickenshit af, yet money-saving!) non-issuance of adequate Personal Protection Equipmant, and bonus! -- for Reptilicans -- ZERO LIABILITY for Corps that employ them (has that passed Congress?) and make them Sick and kill them and kill their families and Front Lines workers.

But
they
just
skate.

All the way to The Bank.

Is THIS the America
You signed up for?

14

Boomers are running out of places to buy clothes.

16

@13 - Agree with your call out for Xina ... that is insanity.
@6 & @10- I agree to a point. Instead of the government paying all of them a little bit more (which they deserve from their employer), I would rather see every front line worker over 59, or those with pre-existing conditions, safely at home and receiving compensation. I know some of you will crucify me, but that population covers about 95% of the fatalities. The government should be keeping them safe, and not sending checks to people based on their 2018 tax returns!!! Making $75K in 2018 has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH COVID-19! Trump is an idiot, but I'd be saying the same thing if Biden or Bernie were cutting the checks. The joys of being an independent.

For those on the front lines in healthcare and public service (such as police and fire), I can only say thank you. They are in a tough situation, but they knew what they were getting into (even though that sounds like an asshole comment). Folks who enter those fields are wired with a special kind of DNA who put the safety of the public first. They deserve all of the recognition they get; they are amazing.

17

It doesn’t sound like an asshole comment DanOh it is one. The beef most health care workers have is not having the tools to properly protect themselves and their patients.

18

@16 -- "I would rather see every front line worker over 59, or those with pre-existing conditions, safely at home and receiving compensation."

Bingo. Problem solved.

There are Many front lines workers, including Doctors' receptionists and those at Winco or Safeway or Fred Meyer stocking shelves or checking us out; exposing themselves WITHOUT ADEQUATE PROTECTION -- almost as if their Lives were nearly without Value -- merely Means of Prodution Units while soulless Corporations and invisible Stockholders (who Must constantly be made Whole) call the shots about who has Actual Value and who can just rot.

And Kroger Foods is rescinding their $2/hour hazard pay, not because the Pandemic is Over, but because Shareholders cannot take a Hit.

Money trumps Humanity.
WTFF.

19

Why do republicans create massive government agencies that soak up tax dollars and redistribute to contractors. Can we get rid of Homeland Security and Space Force and pay for some school or single payer healthcare?

20

Oh please. By all means let's spend a bunch of time and money looking at who has a job and who hasn't before we send out much-needed checks. I don't suppose that it has occured to anyone here that a lot of working people are strapped financially?

How about this - an 85% tax on ever dollar earned (including capital gains/investments/etc) over $750,000 to help pay for all of this? For the past forty years we have structured our entire society around the wealthy. That needs to end.

(and before you say it, I have a job, but I'm ineligible for a check, so it's not going to affect me either way.)

21

I got a small check. 2018 was a tough year for me as I had 6 months between gigs. But like xina's mom will do, I donated part of it to a non-profit: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, as they suffered some damage to their grounds in the Simi Valley fire last year.

22

Fuck all means testing. Just send everyone $2000 a month, call it income and tax it back. This is too fucking simple.

23

From the NYT Editorial Board:

"McConnell’s Rush to Protect Businesses Endangers Everyone Else

To reopen safely, companies need good, clear and mandatory guidelines, not immunity from liability.

There’s a tension at the heart of all of the plans to reopen the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic: The economy needs Americans to get back to work, but workplaces need employees and customers to feel that coming back won’t endanger their health or their lives.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, seems to be concerned primarily with the first half. The biggest obstacle, as he sees it, is not a deadly disease but rapacious trial lawyers, capitalizing on the virus to chase ambulances and bankrupt American businesses.

“If people don’t come and businesses are afraid to open because of the lawyers that are lurking on the curbside outside their doors, we won’t have the reopening we want,” he said late last month. He warned of “years of endless lawsuits” from employees and customers flooding the courthouses with claims that a business’s negligence infected them with the virus. He’s called this supposed wave of litigation a “second pandemic.”

As Congress gears up for the next installment of its stimulus package, Mr. McConnell has drawn a line: No more money for anyone until businesses get immunity from liability during the pandemic. The demands being debated include making it harder to claim that a business is at fault for a worker’s or customer’s infection, protecting businesses that are making personal protective equipment like masks for the first time, and protecting employers against privacy lawsuits if they disclose a worker’s infection.

The problem is that immunity doesn’t just shield the worst actors; it also punishes the best, by giving a competitive advantage to the businesses that decide to cut corners at the expense of worker and customer health and safety.

Consider what happened in Utah, which passed a bill immunizing businesses from pandemic-related litigation in most cases and issued only advisory guidelines. The next day, the Utah Press Herald reported that two businesses had told their employees to disregard the guidelines, and even ordered those who had tested positive for the coronavirus to report to work. At one of the businesses, nearly half of all employees tested positive.

In Missouri, a meatpacking plant operated by Smithfield Foods was sued by a worker and a local advocacy group for creating a public nuisance by forcing employees to work at high speed, in close quarters and without necessary safety gear. The complaint said workers couldn’t even cover their mouths when they coughed out of fear of missing a piece of meat coming down the line."

A piece of Meat you ARE
working on the Line.

"If we gotta Sacrifice YOU
and maybe Yours
it's A SMALL PRICE TO PAY!"

from the GetCorporateAmericaBackOnitsFeatAgain! campaign
& the donald f trumpf hellbentforreelection campaign

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/opinion/coronavirus-liability-business-safety.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

24

Given how contagious covid-19 is @23, why should your favorite little restaurant get sued out of existence?

Good for Mitch on this one.

25

Three comments from the NYT Editorial, @23, above:

“Do not know how others feel, but I wake up to each morning's news feeling like Republicans are signing death warrants for the elderly, for workers, for minorities and more. And yet there is no public outcry that I am reading about, only protests to sign the death warrants by Trump supporters -- enabled by Republicans -- wearing swastikas, carrying guns, and waving Confederate flags. Some mornings I feel like America genuinely is lost.” --Tom Debley; Oakland, CA

“’The problem is that immunity doesn’t just shield the worst actors; it also punishes the best, by giving a competitive advantage to the businesses that decide to cut corners at the expense of worker and customer health and safety.’

So frontline workers who want to eat and pay their bills are being forced to return to unsafe conditions, play Russian roulette with their health, and rely on the ‘good will’ of business to make their work conditions safe?

Even with protections, the front line workers are getting the short end of the stick while managers get to manage their bottom lines as freely as they want.

This goes beyond cutthroat capitalism--it's serfdom. Workers have fought well over a century to for workplace safety and Mitch just erases those protections with the stroke of a pen?

Unbelievable.” –ChristineMcM; Massachusetts

“The gist of this story is that Mitch and his scary band of Good Old Profiteers want to empower businesses to commit genocide against desperate American workers without fear of punishment.

Torte reform in America is not designed to protect businesses from silly lawsuits, but rather a free licence for irresponsible businesses to inflict hurt or even and kill without ramifications.

Mitch and the GOP know that many of these poor souls will contract and die of Covid-19, they simply do not care and consider their lives as the cost of keeping America's business and economy going. God Help America.” –Monica; Toronto

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/opinion/coronavirus-liability-business-safety.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage#commentsContainer

26

Moscow McMitch don't give a flying Fuck about anybody's favorite little restaurant unless it's a hangout for the Rich, rainy. And he surly don't GAF about you, me, any of us schloggers or Meatpackers or Workers ad fucking nauseum.

Awful Sweet of you to shill
for someone who'd just
as soon see you
Dead, tho.

27

Oh, and way to IGNORE the
Meat of the situation.
Well Done.

28

I said "on this one" kristy. I've never agreed with the lust for litigation the bleeding heart crowd champions.

29

"The problem is that immunity doesn’t just shield the worst actors; it also punishes the best."

No, the benefit of immunity is that it shields all actors from superfluous and destructive litigation.

Whether or not the actor is bad or not is not applicable. Let the laws work and address tangential issues in another venue.

The NYT is not God's gift to Earth, Kristy. Please make a note of it.

31

@28 "the lust for litigation the bleeding heart crowd champions" LOL What? Count how many lawsuits Trump ALONE is currently actively engaged in and has been involved with in his lifetime (and what they are and were all about) and get back to us. It is not the bleeding hearts who like to sue, not when it's about money. Fucking absurd reality you keep insisting exists.

32

@30: It's really quite simple blip, without business in the first place there isn't much of a need for a public health infrastructure.

"..we wouldn’t need to worry so much about people suing their employers"

Greed guarantees that we'll never get to that point.

33

A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess
A. Philip Randolph

34

@33: Can you name a country that has achieved that? And if so, would you want to live there?

36

@35: Then let's remove ALL threats to small businesses.

Hanging your hat on right to sue over cover-19 is disingenuous to the science and to public health.

38

@34 No country has achieved it yet and yes I would like to live there. This country pretends it is the greatest country in the world and it is actually one of the worst when it comes to social, economic, and gender equality.

The countries that are the closest are the Nordic countries, but they are also small, homogeneous, and still struggle with specific things (especially gender equality).

I would like THIS country to be that country, as it has always insisted it is and yet has never, ever, not even for one second, come close. I don't believe in love it or leave it, I believe make it better.

The reason I don't believe it will ever be achieved is solely because human beings refuse to allow it to and do everything in their power to prevent it from happening.

40

@39 - OK, let me rephrase. Given how the disease is so highly contagious and the location, time, and other factors that describe the point of infection would require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, what are the benefits of not giving business that immunity?

41

Got my first bike at Penney's (as everyone called it back then) in 1967. Met James Cash Penney's widow as she greeted customers on opening day of a Florida mall, 1978.

RIP JCP.

42

Many governors are opening up their states as part of the White House effort to reopen the country. But as a pandemic expert who has been warning about diseases like Covid-19 for nearly 15 years, my message to Americans is simple: save yourselves, your families and your communities by staying at home and ignoring your governor's "ludicrous" policies.
Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/13/1944758/--Recognize-that-your-leaders-have-made-a-terrible-decision#read-more

43

It’s awesome that nobody says shit when we hand millions to a “Job creator” because he is what makes America great because he is taking a risk creating jobs so we should make sure that there is no risk of him losing his investment.
We need to save our energy for when a out of work waiter hammers a government check worth less than a used Civic and take to the streets and protest that shit.

46

@40, a civil suit only requires preponderance of evidence, not "beyond a reasonable doubt" , which might seem an argument for your point, because any businesses that are not already on the verge of bankruptcy (if there are any) might have "ambulance chasers" lined up around the block to sue them.
However, as you point out simply getting sick would generally not meet even "preponderance" if there are not other factors such as failing to follow guidelines or provide required equipment.
But on the other hand, immunity could give some "licence" to ignore those safety guidelines and otherwise abuse employees. Note that the proposal seems to be to remove existing liability, not to add additional new burdensome levels of liability. I mean, sure there will be additional standards to follow, but I doubt it would be any easier to sue for a server not wearing a mask than for them serving food contaminated with salmonella..

47

@46: Better to incentivize business through fines of not following regulations, than the threat of litigation. For the most part, litigation just makes the attorneys for both parties richer which is why it's preferred by democrats.

49

@48: Yes, people are dying. That last sentence was a cheap shot, a tactic used when you don't have anything else to say to support your position.

51

Ahh, trump is a Democrat now. Fuck, didn’t see that one coming. The guy that never shuts up about suing people is the leader of the party that hates lawsuits. Cool, cool.

52

@50: Yes, we had a good run. Note that:

Establishing adequate testing and tracing to contain a virus that is on track to kill 100K Americans in 3 months.
Protecting business from irrational litigation so that economies can start to recover.

Are two things that can be discussed at the same time. You're being intellectually dishonest by saying that one ("people are dying") precludes the other. It's just amounts to playing up a drama creshendo.

55

Huge fan of Charli XCX. Keep rockin' chica! I do not have much to say about Covid-19 or the stimulus package because I am one of those small businesses that got affected badly and had to lay off 3 out of 5 workers, until we get some sort of financial relief. All three went on unemployment and I am a single woman with no kids and a towing company in Newark NJ that I now have to run on my own with one other employee. They really need to get a hold on this virus and wipe it off the planet! Until then, let's all help one another and stay safe.
Corina L.

56

@53

100,000 deaths in three months would put Covid 19 at #3 on your list.

Three months is only one quarter of a year.

Math is easy.
Critical thinking is important.
You should try them.

57

@55, appreciate your comment. Hope you'll be able to bring back those three furloughed employees. Glad to see they're collecting some decent unemployment in the meantime.

We in WA got off easy compared to NJ. Or let me rephrase, we've gotten off easy so far in comparison.

And well said: "They really need to get a hold on this virus and wipe it off the planet!"

58

Models Project Sharp Rise in Deaths as States Reopen

An internal Trump administration report expects about 200,000 daily cases by June. The White House bars coronavirus task force officials from testifying to Congress without approval.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/us/coronavirus-live-updates.html

59

Federal health officials estimated in early April that more than 300,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 if all social distancing measures are abandoned, and later estimates pushed the possible death toll even higher, according to documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. Some outside experts say even that grim outlook may be too optimistic.

https://publicintegrity.org/health/coronavirus-and-inequality/federal-documents-more-than-300000-likely-to-die-if-restrictions-are-lifted/

60

@59
Florida-dont say 'climate change' even though Miami Beach is flooding, and Florida will be impacted.
White House - don't mention who is affected by Covid-19, even though millions of Americans are impacted, and many will become seriously sick.
Isn't modern day fascism great?

61

"Illinois makes it a misdemeanor for business owners who flout pandemic restrictions.

The owners of restaurants, bars and other establishments in Illinois that open too soon can now be charged with a Class A misdemeanor under a measure enacted by the governor.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, filed an emergency rule on Friday that his office said was intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as a growing number of businesses defy stay-at-home orders across the country.

In Illinois, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect through May, a Class A misdemeanor carries a punishment of up to a year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. The rule also applies to businesses such as barbershops and gyms, according to Mr. Pritzker’s office."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/17/us/coronavirus-cases-deaths.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

68

ProfHiz-- If the Ragers like Amy L. Nitrate (Nitrite?)
('Poppy'?) (Poopy?)
Could 'get someone' they Would get someone
But Incel
So Inflicting themselves on the Rest of US'll
Hafta DO
For now.

SAD

69

@65: "A psychotherapist I know has advised his patients to limit their exposure to the news and discussions about Covid-19 to one hour a day ."

This is an important point. I've found it the coverage fascinating. Rachel Maddow has it down, and is all you really need. But leaving your set on MSNBC throughout the day casts a downer on one's day that is quite excessive.

It is fascinating to dial up Fox and watch Tucker and Laura's take on covid-19. That can jazz things up in your daily monitoring. Even if you don't agree with them, it's good TV.

The impeachment trail and hearings were more interesting to watch. Unfortunately, I don't think any news story is going to push covid-19 "below the fold" anytime soon.

70

“Where Chronic Health Conditions and Coronavirus Could Collide”

“As the new coronavirus continues to spread over the next months, and maybe even years, it could exact a heavy new toll in areas of the United States that have not yet seen major outbreaks but have high rates of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and other chronic health conditions.

Large parts of the South and Appalachia are especially vulnerable, according to a health-risk index created for The New York Times by PolicyMap, a company that analyzes local health data. The index for the first time identifies counties with high rates of the underlying conditions that increase residents’ risk of becoming severely ill if they are infected with the coronavirus.

Even in lower-risk counties, a significant proportion of the population is living with these conditions.”

By Nadja Popovich, Anjali Singhvi and Matthew ConlenMay 18, 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/18/us/coronavirus-underlying-conditions.html

"Even if you don't agree with them [FOX et al], it's good TV."
@rainy

It's TRASH lowest common Dominionator TeeVee
manufactured solely for far riech-wing Consent.
Rupert Murdoch is Destroying this Planet
with tons and tons of Assistance
from far right Psycophants.

71

"the constant high pitched screeching is off putting."
--@poopy pants

Yep and the very first step in
Solving a Problem is recognizing
you Got one. On, to Step Two, Poppy?

73

@70: Fascinating in how surreal and dare I say "scary" these times are. Monitor FNC with MSNBC and it's really a class exercise in two worlds of thinking on what should be objective reality.

74

So the so-called "right"
can begin the ten thousand year Reich?
'cause who tf doesnt need them a Strong Daddy
someone Fierce Enough to keep we weak Human Beings In Line
and do all our 'thinking' For US.

If you love Mud
for Eating and Wallowing
Vote republican.

See: trump

78

Pay attention to the troll (though definitely do not engage with it, because life is too short for that nonsense) because they're saying the quiet part loud: all this talk of culling the weak and unproductive members of society is straight out of the old-school eugenics playbook, vintage 1932. That's what they're selling.


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