Until this occurs, financial markets will remain in a tizzy...

[MWmetalhead]

The silver bullet is widespread availability of testing kits.

Restrictions on private kit use need to be lifted. Assistance from the WHO needs to be accepted to the full extent possible.

Free tests to the elderly and other high risk individuals need to be made available. Test kits should be made available at ALL pharmacies, health clinics and schools.

Until the above occurs, or the virus threat abates, financial markets will get worse before they get better. I think the drop in the dow could rival 2008 before this is all over.

[TC Talks]

Trump decided to forego the WHO test. I think individual states will simply need to work around the Trump administration.

[MWmetalhead]

The CDC let us all down when the test kit they produced failed to pass muster. It sounds like a Plan B wasn't ready to go. For that, I absolutely fault the Trump Administration.

My view of their response is growing less and less favorable.

[Honeyman]

Trump and Pence can't even get on the same page: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ntine.html

[Lester The Nightfly]

Let's all read a story about one Dr. Helen Chu:

https://theweek.com/speedreads/901405/s ... regulators
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/c ... elays.html
(BTW - The New York Times has taken down the paywall for Coronavirus stories. Excellent public service, evil/failing NY Times)

In essence, Dr. Chu in the course of monitoring flu attempted to waive privacy rules and allow coronavirus clinical tests in a research lab. The state of Washington allowed the wavier, the FDA & CDC didn't. She did so anyway and found an infected teenager still going to school, and presumably stopped an outbreak.

While there are a bunch of questions as to medical ethics and such, bottom line is there is a prevailing attitude within government agencies that unless it's "invented here" (something I saw repeatedly in private industry and never turned out well) implementing an idea is unacceptable. It's only been in the last 48 hours that private labs have been allowed to run tests. That's where leadership needs to step in, put their foot down and cut through the bullshit. Trump* played golf.

So yes, testing is key. Hard, if not impossible to execute a plan of action if you haven't a clue as to the size and nature of the problem.

[Honeyman]

Let's all read a story about one Dr. Helen Chu:

https://theweek.com/speedreads/901405/s ... regulators
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/c ... elays.html
(BTW - The New York Times has taken down the paywall for Coronavirus stories. Excellent public service, evil/failing NY Times)

In essence, Dr. Chu in the course of monitoring flu attempted to waive privacy rules and allow coronavirus clinical tests in a research lab. The state of Washington allowed the wavier, the FDA & CDC didn't. She did so anyway and found an infected teenager still going to school, and presumably stopped an outbreak.

While there are a bunch of questions as to medical ethics and such, bottom line is there is a prevailing attitude within government agencies that unless it's "invented here" (something I saw repeatedly in private industry and never turned out well) implementing an idea is unacceptable. It's only been in the last 48 hours that private labs have been allowed to run tests. That's where leadership needs to step in, put their foot down and cut through the bullshit. Trump* played golf.

So yes, testing is key. Hard, if not impossible to execute a plan of action if you haven't a clue as to the size and nature of the problem.

But if we tested, we would see how bad the numbers were. Trump prefers to close his eyes and pretend all is well.

Who would have thought if you put a self-absorbed idiot in the Oval office, you would get this?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-f ... =TNY_Daily

[MWmetalhead]

One week ago, I gave zero thought to voting for anyone other than Trump in 2020 for the U.S. Presidency.

Today, I consider myself non-comitted.

If the White House fails to get its shit together (which is the primary reason for financial market malaise right now), I may just vote for Biden.

[Lester The Nightfly]

One week ago, I gave zero thought to voting for anyone other than Trump in 2020 for the U.S. Presidency.

Today, I consider myself non-comitted.

If the White House fails to get its shit together (which is the primary reason for financial market malaise right now), I may just vote for Biden.

As goes MW, so goes the nation

I'll save a comfy chair for you! Wine? Finger Sandwiches? Can I get you a pillow?

[TC Talks]

Here's a better idea, let's just give Biden a trial run for the next 5 months. I am all for the try-before-you-buy philosophy. He probably has better relationships with everyone around the globe than Trump does anyhow.

Pence made a statement that it's up to the individual State Health departments to cure their own problems.

Vic posted an article from American Conservative that essentially says everything Trump said last night was factually incorrect.

[Honeyman]

The Worst Outcome
If somebody other than Donald Trump were in the White House, the coronavirus crisis would not be unfolding this way.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... yptr=yahoo

More people will get sick because of his presidency than if somebody else were in charge. More people will suffer the financial hardship of sickness because of his presidency than if somebody else were in charge. The medical crisis will arrive faster and last longer than if somebody else were in charge. So, too, the economic crisis. More people will lose their jobs than if somebody else were in charge. More businesses will be pushed into bankruptcy than if somebody else were in charge. More savers will lose more savings than if somebody else were in charge. The damage to America’s global leadership will be greater than if somebody else were in charge.

[bmw]

It's beyond ridiculous how much people are politicizing this. But ok, I'll play along.

In the 5 hardest-hit states, the parties in power are as follows:

-409 cases - Washington - governor is a Democrat, Senator 1 is a Democrat, Senator 2 is a Democrat
-328 cases - New York - governor is a Democrat, Senator 1 is a Democrat, Senator 2 is a Democrat
-148 cases - California - governor is a Democrat, Senator 1 is a Democrat, Senator 2 is a Democrat
-108 cases - Massachusettes - governor is a Republican, Senator 1 is a Democrat, Senator 2 is a Democrat
-44 cases - Colorado - governor is a Democrat, Senator 1 is a Republican, Senator 2 is a Democrat

Notice a pattern there? 13 of 15 of the highest level politicians are Democrats

There, see how fun it can be to play politics with something that should not be politicized?

[Lester The Nightfly]

OK, let's play not politics. I think we agree the US Attorney General is not a political office. Why isn't he coming down like a ton of bricks on folks profiteering on the epidemic? Thor's Hammer on $100 bottles of Purell, bolt's of lighting on the like of Jim Bakker and his Silver Gel?

Crickets.

[MWmetalhead]

Are you suggesting, bmw, everyone carrying the virus has been properly tested and reported?

All five of those states have tremendously important commercial centers with lots of people traveling inbound and outbound through busy airports. Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. are hubs for flights to & from eastern Asia.

Most states have deficient testing protocol at the moment. Colorado is one of the leaders when it comes to testing.

What did you think of Trump's speech last night? He couldn't even keep basic facts straight. That's pitiful.

[bmw]

OK, let's play not politics. I think we agree the US Attorney General is not a political office. Why isn't he coming down like a ton of bricks on folks profiteering on the epidemic? Thor's Hammer on $100 bottles of Purell, bolt's of lighting on the like of Jim Bakker and his Silver Gel?

Crickets.

Simple. The only federal law pertaining to price gouging is the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2013 - and that only pertains to oil and gasoline. 34 states have various anti-price gouging laws, but it up to the individual states to deal any violations, NOT the US Attorney General.

[bmw]

Are you suggesting, bmw, everyone carrying the virus has been properly tested and reported?

All five of those states have tremendously important commercial centers with lots of people traveling inbound and outbound through busy airports. Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. are hubs for flights to & from eastern Asia.

Most states have deficient testing protocol at the moment. Colorado is one of the leaders when it comes to testing.

What did you think of Trump's speech last night? He couldn't even keep basic facts straight. That's pitiful.

You apparently missed the point of my post. I'm doing nothing more than pointing out how ridiculous it is to politicize this the way Honeyman has - specifically, his suggestion that Trump is directly responsible for people dying. I could just as easily sit here and blame all the Democrats running the states where the virus is hitting the hardest for the deaths of the people in those states. Which of course would be, absurd.