pendennis

I have faith in him as a leader. I'm not a "Trumper" in the sense that I hang on every word, and believe everything he says. As I mentioned, the President is a populist, and those folks have a knack for persuading followers to get on the bandwagon. He touches the heartstrings of "Joe/Jane American", and that can be both dangerous and beneficial, and when he errs, I take it with a grain of salt. I always look for another reliable source The message he brings is optimism that the current pandemic has a date certain (if unknown) ending. As with any epidemic, the COVID-19 will wear out itself. I don't place a lot of faith in the number of "confirmed" cases, since any reporting system based on soft data is fraught with error. The symptoms are not universal, and that case of fever may be influenza or some other virus. And if a patient presents with only one symptom, they may not be tested. I do admire his grit for getting to the swamp creatures (bureaucrats, etc.). They all bridle, Democrat or Republican at him for endangering their fiefdoms. That's always a good thing.

Universal testing, while a good tool for statistical studies by virologists, epidemiologists, and others in the science side of medicine, isn't a particularly good idea, since we don't have 300 million test kits available, and the name of the game is saving lives now. And when this pandemic dies out; studies will be of little use, because people will develop immunities to it, or it will mutate, and we'll be back at square two.

I've been around long enough, and I've studied political science, macro economics, and military and general history, all my life to know that I have little, to no faith in central governments, no matter who's in charge. The best policies are those which require hands off by central authorities. That includes banks, among others.

I just finished reading a great book, for the second time, by Matt Ridley - "The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge". After reading it, it's difficult to ever have any reliance on central authorities again.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Thoughtful and polite answer. Thanks.

I guess we just differ on a few major points.

I DO NOT have faith in him as a leader because I see him only doing what is good for himself. The average American may benefit as a side issue, but I don't see Trump as having that average American as his primary target to be helped. He is a egotist/narcissist to the core and that is what drives everything he does.

I don't see him bringing optimism regardless of what truth he might utter because I don't believe most of what he says. Even when he repeats the words of experts I have trouble accepting it from him. He has lost all credibility with me because of the number of times he has lied; he has cried wolf about 15,000 times too often. If Fauci or Birx says something I trust it; if Trump says the same thing I just see it as hollow words to make himself sound informed on the issue. He says it as if he is the expert. Yes, he does on occasion credit others, but rarely. Even today, "I know more about South Korea than anyone." I think his bragging is a form or Tourette Syndrome; all of his superlatives and embellishments (never been done before; people are saying; believe me, I know more about ISIS than the generals;...) are a turnoff for me and actually detract from the message.

I am surprised that you are so against central authority when that is how the military operates, and it seems to work in challenging times. This is a challenging time, and when I see states and cities fighting over resources I think it is exactly when you need a centralized coordinated response.

Anyway, heed the current guidelines on how to stay healthy regardless of who is giving the advice.

pendennis

I also live in "Realville". I'm a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and completely aware of the needs for top-down organizing and executing. Governments are a necessary evil, and I do mean evil. They are not benevolent, because all governmental actions are coercive by nature.

I'm a Libertarian by philosophy, and by study an evolutionist. Nothing arises from the top-down. It's all cranes, not sky hooks.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Since a few folks were interested in how Canada is handling the coronavirus situation, here is an article from a few days ago. It is an opinion piece, but it also presents a few facts on CA/US differences that are pertinent:

Pay attention, Trump: Trudeau’s coronavirus response is a lesson in leadership

Those who crave efficiency sometimes complain about the cumbersome nature of Canadian federalism, with power divided between a relatively weak central government and strong provinces. Those critics should take note of how well the system is working during the coronavirus emergency.

And the events of recent weeks prove another point: that in times of crisis, systems matter, but leadership matters, too. Witness the difference between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Constitutionally and by convention, provincial governments deliver health care, while Ottawa helps fund it. The federal government also plays a co-ordinating role and sets certain basic standards.

The system can be piecemeal and inefficient. But when a public health emergency strikes, things typically work pretty well. During this coronavirus emergency, British Columbia and Ontario have led the response, because they have had the bulk of the cases. Other provinces have been watching and acting accordingly, depending on their own circumstances.

The private sector has also been listening, with sports and cultural activities curtailed, people encouraged to work from home and travel discouraged.

The federal government monitored the responses and implemented national measures, such as Friday’s decision to delay the cruise ship season and to limit the number of airports that receive international passengers, while advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential international travel.

After the curve finally bends downward on this pandemic, postmortems may conclude that officials waited too long to do this, or should have avoided doing that, but at this point all best efforts appear to be in place to limit the transmission of the disease and prevent a spike in infections that could overwhelm the health-care system. Politicians at all levels have also been effective at educating the public without inciting panic.

There has even been all-party co-operation when it mattered, including Friday’s decision to temporarily suspend Parliament, after first ratifying the new North American free-trade agreement.

The federal system has also responded to the economic crisis resulting from the public health crisis. Finance Minister Bill Morneau released a tranche of stimulus measures Friday, while promising more is to come, even as the Bank of Canada reduced interest rates by another 50 basis points. Down the road, this government should be held to account for accumulating deficits during times of growth. But for now, almost everyone agrees that an economy that is probably headed into recession needs help, along with the workers whose jobs are at risk. Ottawa can, should and will spend whatever it takes, while also transferring money to the provinces to help them with health-care costs and with providing help to those in the greatest need.

But while political systems are important, effective leadership in times of emergency can be even more critical. However lethargic Mr. Trudeau has appeared at times since the October election, the Prime Minister has performed well this week, despite being forced to work from home after his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for the virus. Cabinet ministers, especially Health Minister Patty Hajdu, have handled their files well.

Contrast that with Mr. Trump’s efforts to play down the pandemic. In public announcements, the U.S. President seeks only to cast blame on others and to praise himself. By his actions, he has contributed to crucial delays in testing that allowed the virus to spread.

On Friday, Mr. Trump finally declared a national emergency, freeing up relief funding and ramping up testing procedures. But the United States is well behind many other countries, including Canada.

The United States is also a federal system and some of the obstacles to effective action have been systemic. The American preference for more limited government and the inefficiencies of its private-sector health-care delivery have inhibited effective action. On the positive side, state officials have taken steps to limit the spread of the disease.

But the hard fact is that the actions – or the inaction – of Mr. Trump and his administration in past weeks could result in a higher rate of infection in the United States than in Canada. One of the risks to Canadians from COVID-19 could come from people entering Canada from the United States.

It’s an old cliché that the American republic was founded on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, while Canada’s founders preferred peace, order and good government. But at times such as this, the Canadian approach has its appeal.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-pay-attention-trump-trudeaus-coronavirus-response-is-a-lesson-in/

Angmo

So with kkkanadoan leadership, his wife caught the virus.

kkkool. I bet the Russians knocked her up.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

MoMo, you are more and more like Trump every day. There is just no bottom to the cesspool in which you loll.

Angmo

You lack creativity. Watch trumps virus updates to realize your foolhardiness.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Check the thread where I posted my tracking and predictions.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-636427-26.html#11079994

I don't need a liar who downplayed the crisis to the point of dismissing it as 1 case, then 15 cases that would just go away, etc. He has been in denial until perhaps yesterday. And then he has the gall to speak as though he knew all along where this was going.