Disasters in Slow Motion (pt. 6) - Mar 27, 2020

 It has been six days since my last update. On the 21st I made the following statement,

The US will surpass Italy in cases within 2-3 days, China within a week.

Based on how numbers tracked, we passed them both at once - it took 6 days. So, this is where things stop being a “disaster in slow motion,” today marks “landfall” if I cam going to keep using my hurricane comparison. It is now that everyone should have their preparations done, their supplies, laid in, and be ready for the brunt of the coming storm.

First, the numbers.

March 20 (12:56 GMT) - Actual Numbers
Worldwide Cases: 253,960 cases
Worldwide Deaths: 10,408 deaths
US Cases: 14,372 cases
US Deaths: 217 deaths

March 27 (20:25 GMT) - Actual Numbers
Worldwide Cases: 590,013
Worldwide Deaths: 26,939 deaths
US Cases: 100,390 cases
US Deaths: 1,543 deaths

The United States is officially the epicenter for the global pandemic - and the US has no one to blame but itself. I’ll talk about the inept Federal response in a moment, but the fact is that here in Florida, we are being swamped by New Yorkers who are REFUSING the State mandated 14 day self-quarantine for all arrivals from New York and New Jersey. Instead, they are driving in rather than flying in, so as to avoid the National Guard greeting at the airport. Drivers are heading straight to the grocery stores where anyone infected is going to spread this like the plague.

Don’t think that Neo-Nazi dirtbags are cowed by any of this. Nope, they are blaming all of this on the Jews and one of them was arrested while preparing to bomb a hospital. Why you ask? To speed up societal collapse so that they can step up and seize power, even if only locally. So, even now, we need to root out and expose every last one of those Nazi bastards - they have always been the enemies of civilization. During WWII, our grandparents were paid $21/day once a month to kill Nazis - something to keep in mind.

Here in Collier County, a three week shelter in place order will be voted on today and go into effect 3/28 at 00:01. Since Jen and I were forced to travel for a family emergency, we are already in self-quarantine for two weeks another week isn’t going to hurt us. We’re ready for it.

Now then, time to look at the utter failure that is the Federal response.

The President is:

Threatening TV stations

running an ad using his own words.
Stating that aid to States is reliant on then treating him well.

Stating that people

should be going back to work by Easter.
Cancelling a planned order for tens of thousands of desperately ventilators, then claiming that States didn’t need as many ventilators, and now is threatening GM for not making ventilators fast enough.

The only positive thing that Trump has done during ANY of this is that he is expected to sign the stimulus package into law. So, he will be putting his name on someone else’s work. Remember, he was

playing golf

just a week ago.

Now, this collapse of Federal response wouldn’t be so bad if all the State governments had the money needed to address the situation (they don’t) and if they all took it seriously (they aren’t). As of this writing, 18 US States and 4 US territories have taken no legislative action at all. As if that weren’t bad enough?

The only Statewide action (other than finally closing the beaches) in Florida is SR 1934 which declares “the Florida State University Seminoles basketball team, by virtue of tremendous skill on the court and the heart and spirit shown by the players and coaches this basketball season, the 2020 NCAA basketball champions by default upon cancellation of the NCAA tournament due to concerns raised by the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.”

Iowa: SB 2408 Relating to state and local finances by making and supplementing appropriations. Waives the instructional time requirement for schools that close in order to prevent or contain the spread of COVID-19.

Illinois: HB 5607 Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code. Requires the Department of Public Health to conduct a study, subject to appropriations, of the state's disease response preparedness, in particular studying the state's preparedness against the coronavirus. At the request of the Department, requires other state agencies, in particular the Emergency Management Agency, to support the Department's efforts.

Mississippi: HB 1647 Authorizes local governmental entities and local school districts to grant administrative leave with pay to the employees of those local governmental entities and local school districts in the event of certain disasters or emergencies.

Oklahoma: HCR 1017 Relates to adjournment of the legislature for a period in excess of 3 days. HR 1033 Relates to declaring emergency conditions under the House Rules.

Rhode Island: SR 2770 Requests that President Donald Trump declare a National Emergency for the Coronavirus Pandemic.

So really, 24 US States are doing “fuck-all” during all of this.

In the time I wrote this, the US has announced 2 more cases.

March 27 (20:57 GMT) - Actual Numbers
Worldwide Cases: 590,013
Worldwide Deaths: 26,939 deaths
US Cases: 100,392 cases
US Deaths: 1,543 deaths