So what should be the point of comparison for questions of race, ethnicity and arrest-related deaths? The answer matters, because it sheds light on the nature of the problem…which in turn leads to better ideas on how to fix it.
Ok, let’s get this straight: US debt has skyrocketed and interest payments on the debt will crowd out other federal expenditures, all the while the US tax base becomes increasingly shaky and federal outlays on medical services will continue growing for the foreseeable future. It’s all too much, but I’m going to try to fix the situation, starting with the US healthcare system. The challenge: cut healthcare expenses while expanding coverage and maintaining quality. This actually is doable. Consider that at least 20% of US healthcare spending is unnecessary due to…
The virus is still leaving death and devastation in its wake. Let’s hope the summer weather tempers its spread and by the fall a vaccine is ready for widespread testing.
So what are we going to do with all that empty retail space? The obvious answer is to re-purpose the space for non-retail. Here are thirteen possibilities:
Jonathan Haidt defined moral emotions as “those emotions that are linked to the interests or welfare either of society as a whole or at least of persons other than the judge or agent.” Moral emotions motivate people to do good and to avoid doing bad. Let’s grant that moral emotions are a good thing. But is more of a good thing even better? And does feeling a moral emotion less intensely mean…
The United States is a dysfunctional basket case. The Left wants a safety net like Denmark’s but to pay for it by increasing taxes on the rich and corporations, supplemented by more borrowing and stock market speculation (for instance, pension funds relying on 7% annual returns to meet future obligations). The Right just resists, sensing the Left’s aspirations are a pipe dream and the pipe will eventually blow up in their collective face. In the meantime, the Danes agree to tax themselves - not just the Other Guy - to get the safety net they want. They are the grownups in the room. Check it out…
“The Kremlin’s handling of the crisis reminds some of the cover-up of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which prompted Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, to launch glasnost, a campaign for more openness. “The whole system is penetrated by the spirit of bootlicking, persecution of dissidents, clannishness, window-dressing. We will put an end to all this,” Mr Gorbachev told his politburo at the time.” - Russia’s covid-19 outbreak is far worse than the Kremlin admits. The Economist May 21, 2020
6. Leaves No Room for Doubt: As the Greek philosopher Hippo said, “Doubt is the origin of wisdom”. Calling out comes from a place of certainty, which undermines learning, discovery, critical thinking and scientific inquiry. …
The results are in! Let the headlines tell the story:
“Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being” by Donna Lu/ New Scientist, May 6, 2020
“Results of Finland's basic income experiment: small employment effects, better perceived economic security and mental wellbeing”/ Kela May 6, 2020
“One of the world's largest basic-income trials, a 2-year program in Finland, was a major flop. But experts say the test was flawed” Aria Bendix/Business Insider, December 8, 2019
“Why Basic Income Failed in Finland” by Jimmy O'Donnell/Jacobin Magazine, December 1, 2019
Wait…what exactly is the story here? Was Finland’s UBI experiment a success or not? That question can’t be answered without defining success.
Per dictionary.com, to insinuate is to “to suggest or hint slyly” or “to instill or infuse subtly or artfully, as into the mind”. To insinuate is to lead one’s target along a winding path – a sinuous path – that takes them to where the insinuator wants them to go. On the surface, all is a succession of neutral facts. But what one make of these facts is nudged in certain directions by choice of words, choice of facts, and how they are put together. Think Iago in Othello.
But what, exactly, is a Universal Basic Income? There is no consensus definition, but here’s a good one provided by a couple economists: UBI is a cash transfer program that 1) provides a sufficiently generous cash benefit to live on, without other earnings; 2) does not phase out or phases out only slowly as earnings rise; and, 3) is available to a large proportion of the population, rather than being targeted to a particular subset, e.g., to single mothers (Hoynes and Rothstein, 2019).
What’s going on here? The Covid-19 mortality rate in these countries range from .06% of confirmed cases to 14.53% of cases. Some possibilities….
While the Covid-19 rates in the above 32 states are based on only a few months of data, they appear to be on-track to a lower 2020 mortality rate than the influenza-pneumonia mortality rate in 2018. The following states are another story…
Since it’s hard to pin down the actual number of flu cases that end in death, epidemiologists often use population-based death rates instead of case-based death rates. And they combine the death rates for influenza and pneumonia. Using that metric, the US death rate for Influenza/Pneumonia in 2018 (last year available) was about 15.3 per 100,000 people As of today, May 8, 2020, the US population-based death rate for Covid-19 US is around 24 per 100,000.
The virus leaves death and devastation in its wake, but so does the lockdown. Downplaying the effects of shutting down schools and the economy is just as callous as downplaying the suffering of the infected. It makes sense that Republican governors are moving more quickly to open their economies, given their per capita Covid-19 mortality rate is so much lower than the mortality rate of states with Democrat governors. Compassionate public policy is always a balancing act.
Of course, occupational “preferences” are often a matter of perceived career options, which partly reflects one’s education and skills…
Brick-and-mortar retail has been in a death spiral for years. Thanks to Covid-19, we can no longer kid ourselves that some type of retail revival is just around the corner. Nope, it’s over. And now we have to figure out what to do with all those empty storefronts.
The insecticides I have in mind are neonicotinoids, which have devastated bee populations throughout the world. Seeds treated with neonicotinoids are also toxic to birds (some birds more than others). A few years ago, the European Union banned various neonicotinoids from all agricultural fields because of the harm they caused bees and birds. Follow-up studies are now trickling in from Europe and the results have been quite illuminating. Here are some findings…
As these intrepid but infected souls recover and acquire antibodies, they will cease being vectors of contagion and thus play their part in the march to herd immunity. While such incomplete herd immunity will not stop a return of Covid-19 later in the year, it may slow its spread when the weather cools. And slowing the spread will continue to save lives as we wait for a vaccine to provide full herd immunity.
It’s a weather effect. Specifically, cold, dry winter air increases both the transmission and severity of viral respiratory infections by:
Affecting the properties of the virus surface proteins and membrane
Making it easier for airborne viral particles to travel
Reducing the functionality of teeny hair-like structures called cilia from expelling viral particles from the body’s airways.
Impairing cell repair in the lungs exposed to viral infections.
Reducing immune system efficiency.