Pandemic Porkers

(5.7 minute read) 3/30/2020, 2 pages

NOTE:  I lifted some of the technical information below from historian Heather Cox Richardson. I also did, as I usually do, research on my own. BTW the bills are available online for anyone to see. There is no mystery about what has taken place just lies that are being messaged. It happened right out in the open.

In the beginning.

Now, for those that might not know funding bills have to come from the House NOT the Senate. So a “shell bill” was created by the House to serve as the original bill. This bill was replaced by the Senate bill that was written by Republicans. And yes it was loaded with PORK. Pork for porkers. Pork for Fat Cats. Pork for FOT and FOR. Pork for corporations. Pork for the always suffering rich.

Do you CARE?

I’m seeing a lot of misinformation about the stimulus bill that recently passed. It’s called Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (CARES) H.R. 748. It is actually the 3^rd relief bill to pass. The first one was H.R. 6074. The 2^nd H.R. 6201. The first two CARE bills were bi-partisan. Not the 3^rd.

There’s a lot of junk circulating about Democrat “pork” in the 3^rd bill. NOT factual at all. The Senate Republicans wrote the 3^rd 2.2 trillion dollar bill WITHOUT input from the Senate Democrats. The pork is and was Republican pork. The bill passed the Senate 96 to 0 and went ‘back’ to the house. All the Democrats voted for the bill in order to keep it moving and back to the conference committee.

FOPs

Now when Democrats saw the Senate bill they objected to the lack of money for average Americans and that there was not enough oversight for the $500 billion being provided for corporations. Now, I think, that this next part is important, it wasn’t that the Democrats didn’t want to serve pork to corporations they wanted more oversight on the slush fund. They also didn’t want the Friends of President Trump(FOTs) and the President to get any of the money. If you remember President Trump would NOT commit to not having his businesses benefit from the money.

Also if you remember the news at the time, corroborated by el Presidenté Trump when he was talking about the House Dems not passing the CARE bill, the House Democrats and Republican Senate were at an impasse. This is when the House Democrats produced a 1400 page wish list bill in contrast to what to what the Senate Republicans had produced. House Republicans did not participate in this bill. No need really. They had seen what their comrades in the Senate had delivered up. This is when Senate Republicans realized that they needed to start compromising with the Democrats. No action at all was taken on the 1400 page House bill.

Tilting windmills

The House intended to pass the 3^rd CARE bill with a voice vote BUT yet another Republican held up that simple vote until enough members of the House returned, voted him down and passed the bill. In the Senate there were 4 Republicans that spoke out against giving more money to average Americans than what they deserved. Republicans always are suspicious about poor people taking advantage of them. They just have a low opinion of those that aren’t them.

The bill then went to President, who signed the bill.

But wait!

The President also included a signing statement. He said that there were things in the bill that he would disregard. Gasp! You’ll never guess what he objected to. Oversight of the slush fund and the portions that said he and his companies wouldn’t take any money. He has added some things since signing the bill like wanting his name on all the checks going to Americans.

Classic

And of course President Trump is lying about the bill already and his Republican jesters are spinning his message. There were no windmills in the bill that the Republicans wrote. There was no “Green New Deal” in the bill that the Republicans wrote. Seriously people. Republicans.

And now the President’s base is accusing Democrats of doing what Republicans in point of fact did and telling people to be sure and remember at election time. Thanks Obama.

Pork lite

There was some pork or rather pork lite added by both parties. Nothing draws Democrats and Republicans together like a little pork. It’s what they do. There were actually some good things in there too.

I’m going to single one out because the conservative Republican messaging is already going after the money that went to the Kennedy Center. I have to admit that even I wondered about that one. (BTW the center is part of the government.) Melania Trump is a trustee of the center if that helps any. President Trump along with other Republicans and Democrats supported giving them funding as well. Republicans proposed giving them money in the original bill that they put together.

There were some other appropriations in the bill. You can read them for yourself if you want. Its 335 pages long. At least the PDF that I downloaded is that long. But why bother with actually reading when it’s so much fun just making stuff up and passing lies around to support Glorious Leader?

I often make what I call an LT15 check. That means usually I can find out if something is true in less than 15 seconds on average. Granted some stuff takes a little more digging. There isn’t anything that I’ve had to look up relevant to this page that took me longer than 30 seconds.

Down towards the bottom of the bill at like around 200 pages in is where the other stuff starts popping up. The Kennedy Center shows up at page 272. You can read all about it! Yes, I went through all 335 pages. The amounts of money are just dizzying! It’s a $2.2 trillion dollars bill! Kind of breath-taking really. It’s there for you to read it. If there’s a government agency, program or building that’s been missed it’s an accident and probably something in the bill covers that.

No windmills though. Sorry to disappoint. Just say that you’ve read the bill and make up whatever you need to believe. You’re in austere company.

Check please.

It’s quite possible that the President doesn’t know what is in the bill that he signed either. Three hundred thirty five pages are waaaay past his attention span. Reading things gets in the way of his tweet time. He just wants to make sure that his name is on the checks. He likes it when people are grateful to him. He rewards his jesters except for when he punishes them.

 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+748%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=1

Foursome [PANDEMIC]

(4 minute read)

Victory! We beat China!

VICTORY! The United States with a population of 328 million has beaten China with a population of 1.4 billion in the number of COVID-19 cases! AND we did it with inadequate testing!

USA! USA! USA!

Go US!

I was telling people last week that we would know by the end of this week how things were going to go. Well, now we know. Yesterday’s news was not good. Beating China in the number of COVID-19 cases was not the place that we wanted to be in. We pulled it off though. Unchecked that figure will double. DOUBLE!

What can individuals do?

Ω Try not to get it.

Ω Try not to spread it.

That’s it.

Short list.

The majority of us are just along for the ride at this point.

Back in the day

Remember when the AIDs epidemic hit. That’s when health professionals started telling people to have safe sex. In essence they said that if a person had unprotected sex with someone then they were having sex with every person that person had had sex with. In other words if that person had been infected by anyone they had sex with then they would not only catch it but spread it as well. The more sex partners that a person had the riskier the situation they were placing themselves in. People had AIDs and didn’t know that they had it. That’s how it was spreading. With me so far?

Final 4

Let’s get back to that foursome title. Let’s say four people decide to hit the links. They’re from 4 different groups of associations. When they get together they’re all in essence meeting everyone that the others in their foursome have associated with in the last two weeks. Were any of the people in any of these groups of associations infected with the coronavirus? The risk of exposure goes up dramatically especially when you consider that people without symptoms can transmit the virus.

The lets say that the foursome decides to support their local restaurant and goes to get some takeout. The person that they come into contact with at the delivery point is now placed at risk. Did all the involved parties use their best practices for preventing transmission of COVID-19? I seriously doubt it. Why? Because if they had a brain in their head they wouldn’t have been golfing in the first place! And it isn’t just themselves that they put at risk. It’s everybody that they come into contact with. Their friends. Their loved ones.

So are we supporting local business if we put their lives at risk just so we can have takeout?

“I’ll have a burger, fries and a coke and here’s a little COVID-19 for you along with the tip.”

“Thank you sir and here’s some COVID-19 right back at you. Have a nice day!”

“You too kid! Say hello to your Grandma for me!”

Mission Essential

Some risks can’t be avoided. We actually do need food to get through this. That’s why grocery stores are allowed to remain open. Fired departments. Police departments. Hospitals. Utilities. Transportation (Nurses and doctors have to get to work.). You know—ESSENTIAL! NOT GOLF!

May God bless and hold all of these people in grace. They are truly incredible.

Why do I keep mentioning golf? Where we live golf made the cut as being essential. Fucking golf. This is how you tell whether people are taking a pandemic seriously or not. Sadly, It’s way past time to get serious.

 GOLF?!!! SERIOUSLY! GOLF?!!!

Elvis has left the building.

People saying that going back to work will save the economy are quite simply wrong. That train has left the station. That boat has sailed away. That plane has left the runway. That horse has left the barn. Well, you get the picture.

First and foremost the country just took on at least 2 trillion in debt. This is on top of the trillion and a half that was given to rich people. Now add all the income that’s already been lost and will be lost. If you’re so inclined even add all of the lost profit and lost sales of goods and services. Toilet paper sales are going to be flat for at least a year. The economy? It’s over. Can’t be saved.

What can be saved?

Here’s a radical idea.

 Save people! Put people first! Start now!

That can be done.