A Note From Kate
Kate isn't going to join here, because she avoids political news as much as possible (for her mental health). But I got her permission to re-post this rant. She was steaming. And rightfully so.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
A call to do the right thing. . .
I hear so very many Boomers and early Gen X-er's bashing millenials as irresponsible.
I'm so fucking tired of it. Especially when I hear stories from my daughter about her friends - who are grocery store and fast food workers - taking money they can't afford to try to get tested -- and being turned away b/c they "aren't old enough". These kids are trying to be responsible citizens and workers in our society. They are TRYING to take the actions necessary to ensure the public health safety and they are being stopped cold. This is further enraging when one sees reports of celebrities and politicians getting tested.
Okay, time to pony up Boomer & Gen X politicians: You want these kids to "just stay home"? Then just pass emergency legislation to ensure they get paid and have jobs to go back to. Promise those whose companies don't survive this administrative and political cluster-fuck of mismanagment income, insurance and retraining. Put your gods-thrice-damned money where your filthy hearts should be and provide for the populace.
What the actual fuck dudes?
Comments
Legislators are not self-serving assholes
because they are Boomers. They are assholes because it is a requirement for election in this fucked up system.
The Federal Government under Trump's watch screwed up completely by failing to recognize and react to the situation when it had become apparent in early January. If Trump would have listened to the WHO, there would now have been sufficient tests for everyone that needed them. At this point in time, there are only enough tests available to use when someone is already sick (there are not sufficient even then).
I suggest Kate contact her millennial friends and recognize their true enemy. It is not Boomers. It is the fuckwits in Washington on both sides of the house. This motley group of grifters need to be tarred and feathered and run out of town. Barring that ideal method, Millenials need to get more active and make sure the bums never get elected in the first place. Or, better yet, change the entire corrupted system.
Sincerly yours,
Pissed off Boomer
A nice meme, but false...
Pretty much all politicians are f-ing liars.
The US could have manufactured the WHO test
under license and had a working test 3-4 weeks earlier. But the for-profit drug manufacturers wouldn't have made as much money. Trump has screwed over Americans with his America First mentality.
Example: Co-Diagnostics, Inc. put their new 30 minute test on the market Feb 20. They have licensed a drug manufacturer in India to also manufacture the test. Their stock went from 0.97 mid Jan to 17.81 Feb 20.
It's too bad you weren't in charge.
You would have ordered the WHO test because you knew there'd be problems with manufacture of the reagent used in the US test even before those problems were discovered.
politician == asshole
(With apologies to honest, hardworking rectal structures everywhere, including my own.)
Exhibit A: Barack O'Bomber. Not a Boomer. Demonstrably a lying, self-serving asshole nonetheless.
And being a lying, self-serving asshole is a requirement for all power, in every system, everywhere. (See Machiavelli, Il Principe, opus in toto.)
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
He's not ours.
I've heard the "Barack is a GenXer" argument before. Sometimes it seems like the defining dates of my generation were re-defined in order for people to be able to call Barack Obama a GenXer.
Up until Obama, the general consensus was that Gen X began in 1965 and lasted until 1980. It makes sense, in that somebody born in 1965 might, but is unlikely to remember watching the moon landing; might, but is highly unlikely to remember the Beatles as a touring band; certainly cannot remember JFK as President and probably can't remember LBJ either. The Vietnam War, unless a member of the family was serving in the military, would seem rather distant to somebody born in 1965 or later, since the oldest of us would have been ten years old when it ended, and most of us much younger. Most of the important historical events that made a large impact on Boomers, from the aftermath of WWII to Woodstock, would likely either be dim memories or not remembered at all by a generation that begins in 1965. To give you a homely example, women in my generation don't remember a world without the Pill. Most of us do not remember a world without Roe v Wade either.
To the extent that the concept of generations makes sense at all, it makes sense because of history: certain large historical events impacting a bunch of people because they were alive and old enough to notice. These events affect people's characters, beliefs and assumptions. The historical events that impact Gen X are the aftermath of Watergate (just as the aftermath of WWII affected the Boomers), the OPEC crisis, the hostage crisis, the Reagan (counter) revolution, the rise of widely available digital technology, the end of well-funded independent journalism, the bombing of Beirut, the bombing of Libya, the Gulf War, the rise of Clinton and the end of organized political participation for the Left, the normalization of a few aspects of feminism, the public knowledge of climate change, and some others. The rise of Goth music and culture is one of the more entertaining ones.
We also have some defining historical events in common with the Boomers. We are both Cold War generations, and that sets us both apart from all other generations. But what makes us a separate generation from yours are the events that happened when we were old enough to notice and young enough that we were still developing our ideas of what the world is, which happened *after* you all were fairly well set in your ways.
I think it's fair to say that, under the age of three, most people do not have much awareness of the larger world, and that, by twenty-five, we are usually fairly well set in our ways (though individuals can choose to blow up those mental structures and change). So, for the eldest members of my generation, what matters are powerful events that happened between 1968 and 1990. For me, it would be events that happened between 1971 and 1993. For Kate and Nick, events that happened between 1977 and 1999.
I just thought of another defining event for us: the release of Star Wars.
Barack Obama could remember the Beatles as a touring band. He probably remembers the moon shot. While he wouldn't remember Kennedy, he probably remembers LBJ. He probably remembers the deaths of RFK and MLK, which almost nobody I know from my generation does. The Vietnam war was still raging when he was ten years old. I was two. To me, Vietnam is history, not my personal history.
In some eras, a five-year difference would not matter so much. The years between 1960 and 1965 involved massive changes, as you know, since you were there. Those changes make our generations distinct from one another. They make the man born in 1960 quite different from those born in 1965.
If Obama were born in 1964, I might give you that one, on the grounds that all generational definitions are by their nature arbitrary and fuzzy at their edges. But he was born in 1960. And until his advent, nobody suggested that our generation began earlier than 1965. I believe that was changed because somebody wanted to avoid the appearance of power remaining in the hands of the Greatest, Silent and Boomer generations. It was starting to look a little bad, when the oldest of us were 43, that we had no prominent politicians. The highest we have reached is Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. Quite repulsive, by the way. It figures that it would be a person like that who would be the first of our generation to attain political eminence, seeing as how, if you read his Wikipedia entry, it's pretty clear that his primary talent is successfully kissing the asses of rich sociopaths. And that's pretty much one of the two ways people in my generation were able to succeed (the other was being a tech innovator in the right place at the right time).
Tell you another difference between our generations: I can't remember a world where a working-class man like Archie Bunker could have afforded a house in Queens.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
An excellent rant, and taken in the spirit in which it was
written. The elites, dly enough, cannot do what is right and what is needed because they are conflicted, and punching down is all that they now. It is a gut reflex with them; it penetrates some crevice of what passes for their minds, and they each and every one, like some cartoon zombie frankenstein monster jerkingly stumble toward the light, haltigly intonig "must, help,......myself - yes, that's it, help myself!"
Thanks for posting this.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Postscript:
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Emergency Legislation
Democrats are blocking the GOP's emergency legislation because it tilts toward Republican priorities instead of Democratic priorities. WTF? People are not going to get emergency help and money because Democrats are in a snit? Democrats, pass the damn legislation to get the flow started and then work on a follow-up that favors Democratic goals. It's not rocket science, assholes.
Yeah, if it helps
GOP buddies like the giant corps and does so with no strings attached, I'd have a big problem with that, and would want Ds to work to at least add the major strings. And if the GOP offering is only a few crumbs for the people, like a one-time payment, I would want Ds to hold it up until the offering is at least a few slices of the loaf.
And it's easy to say come back later and correct things. The later may not happen, or a really good bill would be twice as difficult and twice as long to achieve. Best to try to get most things achieved in this bill.
I've heard more positive things about Ds taking a tougher stance lately, and I support it. Maybe they heard the backlash from the stories of a week ago about their weak C19 response, which was pathetic. That was on Nancy and Chuck. I hope they've seen the error of their ways.
Better to get a better bill by taking the time to do it right, than rush through a lousy GOP bill that the corporations would love.
Or perhaps they recall the '08 bailout
under GWB and a Democratic Congress that ended up tarnishing Obama and Democrats because the money ended up in the pockets of the banks and not the people.
Holding up money for the wealthy
is the only leverage they've got. If they roll over now, there won't be any chances to fix it later.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
The GOP plan does not help workers
Most of the money goes to corporations with no strings attached like saying that if they get the $$$ then they have to retain their workers.
The dems are trying to get extended UE benefits and more money into SNAP and other things. Not that it is not loaded with lots of pork, but the GOP plan is a non starter. No conditions on them still buying back their stock.
A one time check for $1,200 per person related to your 2018 taxed while giving no money whatsoever to people who didn't. Or maybe a one time check for $500.
If corporations get bailed out while small business are on their own to sink or swim then when the smoke lifts were are going to see larger big businesses and less small ones. Amazon has it's fucking hand out too while it is probably raking in the profits right now. If any business did not pay taxes on their billions in profit they can go to Helen Wait and talk to the hand!
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Dems 'should be' bolstering UE--they slashed it
in 2012, under O's direction. See below.
From what I'm hearing, Dem Leadership's major concern is that they don't want seniors--no longer 'productive'--to receive a check. Thomas Friedman and other Dem austerian shills are all over screaming about this.
(Some also object to children or students receiving money, because they aren't in the workforce. Also, Nance has pushed for 'pay-go' deficit spending triggers. That's really what we need now, huh?)
We listen to all the CR Task Force Briefings. From what I heard, yesterday, I'd say that they're probably upset because the transportation and hospitality industries--including the Trump Organization, I presume--will be targeted to receive financial assistance.
OTOH, guess we should all be grateful that Nance is "prayerful" as she negotiates the package. (her words this morning)
Gag!
Mollie
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”
~~Will Rogers, Actor & Social Commentator
“Love makes you stronger, so that you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.”
~~Author Unknown, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) Website
“In a world where you can be anything–be kind.”
~~Author Unknown
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne
Mollie
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Okay, I get it that Trump was selling
the test as some sort of panacea and anyone that wants one can get tested, but why are Millenials looking to Trump for health information? Plus he was lying, as usual, as tens of millions of tests aren't available and even if they were, there aren't enough medical workers to administer them. Even in the hardest hit Italy, the incidence of COVID-19 is now only 0.1% and deaths, almost exclusively among the elderly and those with preexisting medical conditions, is less than 10% of those that have contracted the virus.
The major -- so far -- real value of the COVID-19 test is as a tool for public health workers in containment efforts, the weak component of what is currently being done in the US. Its clinical value maybe nil if the latest novel medical treatments don't end up being any better than standard hospital care for those seriously ill with an influenza.
Do those in a panic to get a test understand that a negative test result only means that as of when they were tested they hadn't been infected? And that could change tomorrow. What they need to focus on is:
1) their health. If no symptoms - fever, dry cough, malaise - they aren't sick. If sick, it may be a virus. Quick tests for influenza A & B are available.
2) If sick, stay home (don't take any NSAIDs unless these are found not to worsen COVID-19) wear a mask when around others to protect them.
3) If breathing difficulties become severe, immediately seek medical attention.
Trump-care
Yes and no
First, yes, it is true that there is nowhere near the capacity (in terms of test kits, personnel, laboratory processing, etc.) to randomly test every person who thinks getting one is a good idea or “the right thing” to do right now. Here in AZ, like most places, you can only get tested if you have specific symptoms, then call a specified phone number for a telephone screening, and they determine if you should get tested or not. Most people are not. If yes, they make an appointment for you to go to a testing center, and after the test you are required to go into self-isolation until the results are back (up to several days), and longer if you test positive of course.
No one, regardless of age, just gets tested cuz they want one and then goes on about their business. That is not how it works. And as far as I know, no one anywhere has said that everyone should go out and get tested in order to be responsible citizens.
However, on your list of what to focus on, you missed the boat. The MOST important thing they are asking everyone to do is social distancing along with rigorous hand washing and other protective measures. It is not true that if you don’t feel sick, you don’t have it. Absolutely wrong. That is precisely why social distancing is the top recommendation, for everyone.
This does not mean not going to work however, if you work in a business that is staying open and requires on-site staff to function. (Yes, like grocery stores and restaurants offering take out/delivery.) My own company has moved us to remote, working from home for most staff, because the type of work we do allows for that. My husband, who works with the public in an automotive repair facility, is still going to his job every day. Which I wish he did not have to do. But he does.
Demanding to be tested without being sick or self-isolating is not being responsible or doing the right thing. What they want everyone — not just “kids” — to do is avoid unnecessary socializing or personal interactions, and be vigilant about distancing and personal hygiene for necessary contact (going to work, getting groceries, etc.)
I understand quite well the frustration, anger, fear, and need to do something, and I know how all of that spills over into our lives and can lead to lashing out whether its rational and reasonable or not. I don’t think attacking people in a generalize way based on their age is helpful though. Lots of young people are being irresponsible by not respecting the need for social distancing. Lots of older people are doing the same. And many people of all ages are doing their best to follow these difficult guidelines. I think this is a time to try to support everyone and not divide ourselves into age groups to fight each other.
Didn't state nor intend to imply that
if you're not sick, you don't have COVID-19. (Recall this conversation was about young people panicking because they couldn't access a COVId-19 test, and had a mistaken impression that the test would clear them.) The medical and public health consensus at this time is that infected and asymptomatic people can infect others. (Also reports that the virus can live airborne for a couple of hours and even longer on metal and plastic objects.) My point was to be more aware of 1) early symptoms, particularly temperature and self-isolate as much as possible and when not possible to wear a mask, 2) contact with someone that has become ill (not all of whom are being tested) requires isolation, and 3) the risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization and death for otherwise healthy people under the age of 45 is extremely low.
Japan and South Korea haven't been locked down, both identified a COVID-19 patient in mid-January, and their cases and deaths remain low (I trust the SK numbers on cases more than Japan's). What the Japanese and Koreans do as a matter of course is wear surgical masks whenever they feel ill. Others respect that signal; don't know if others use that signal to increase their social distance from those wearing masks.
I may be skeptical about the asymptomatic transmission because we heard that wrt to Ebola and SARS and it wasn't true either time. There was also a lot of alarming and untrue reports about the ease of Ebola transmission.
The bottom line is that COVID-19 tests are in short supply and being used selectively where they will have the greatest impact. In South Korea that has been on those who are ill and those that can be identified as having had contact with the infected person. To date SK has tested 338,036 people, 315,447 tested negative, 13,628 are in-test, 8,961 tested positive. That's out of a population of 51 million.
Good luck getting a mask. nt
Does anybody really think Hillary would have done better?
Hey, look what it's done to the stock market. Would Wall street let her start the panic any sooner? Besides, Henry Kissinger hasn't caught it and Harvey Weinstien only tested positive last week.
Everybody is like some mayor in a giant shark movie - "So a couple of people have disappeared. So all you've found of them are some gnawed bones and blood stains. We don't want to start a panic, especially with the big Monster Chow Festival tomorrow."
On to Biden since 1973
It would have been slicker --
assuming Obama detailed a bunch of his guys to her office -- and thus, it would take longer for the public to recognize that she'd screwed them.
My failure as a Boomer was not to become one of
TPTB. But then if I had been the sort of person to amass wealth, I probably would really be part of the problem.
I think humanity selects for sociopaths and psychopaths. They are the scum that rise to the top down through the ages.
To blame any generation for the sins of their most ruthless members just keeps the most ruthless in power. The rest of us are left to fight among ourselves.
I’m tired of hearing people buying into the inter generational feuds. We need to join together against the sociopathic criminals who have lied, cheated and stolen their way to the top of the heap. If I could kick Joe Biden out of the running and install Bernie (Boomer) Sanders, I sure as hell would! Bernie has been trying to leverage his way up his whole career to see that all of us are given a fair chance.
I understand Kate’s frustration, but it might be misdirected. And that would be just fine with TPTB.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Agree -
minor correction: Bernie (and Joe) aren't Boomers.
They just play one on the television
Not well in Joe's case today:
This is true:
It's an epigenetic flaw in the species and it's also a mental illness.
Voters in high-anxiety countries with threatening propaganda will instinctively choose sociopaths and psychopaths for leaders. This kind of leader is more willing to kill large numbers of people without hesitation. They are happy to block shipments of food and medicine from a nation like Iran, knowing great numbers of Iranians will die of the particularly virulent strain of covid-19 that was planted in that country. Americans need leaders like this to make them feel secure and protected. Once this nation regains its moral compass, it will still take about 60 years or three generations to weed this instinct out the general gene pool. No amount of logic or critical thinking can override the damage.
Kate is right about a demographic that is consistently voting in ways that harm her life and gut her future. The voting group 55 and over tend to vote their irrational fears, not their hopes. They vote against the future and against the aspirations of the young. The brain goes through changes at that age, psychological and physical. Attitudes harden in the majority. As a voting bloc, they push the nation's election outcomes toward mean, selfish, and punitive policies. The dystopia we live in now was made possible by the votes of that dead-end demographic over the past 50 years. However, millennials have the numbers to cancel their votes any time they want to. In fact, they have the numbers to control the direction of the country right now. I wish they would.
We don't have the necessary supply of masks and covid-19 tests for the American because of predatory capitalism. This has corrupted the entire government, the courts, and the Congress. The nation's health, housing, transportation, and education has been degraded by unregulated capitalism and the privatization of government services and public utilities. Nothing can change until capitalism is tightly bound by regulations that benefit society.
Carry a flame and share the light.
.
Righteous rant
We're all in this together. Don't really know what else to say.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.