March 28, 2020

trump signing statement : what oversight?

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-objects-oversight-provisions-coronavirus-011717145.html

" President Donald Trump used a relatively rare signing statement Friday to object to portions of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus law, potentially opening a new front with Democrats on the oversight of how that money is spent.

Trump said he would ignore portions of the law demanded by some Democrats to give Congress additional visibility into the stimulus spending, arguing that those requirements would infringe on the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution. "

in case you missed it, we just gave this azzwhole $2T (or maybe $6T) that he intends to use to reward his friends and punish the people that his paranoid delusions consider to be his "enemies."

March 27, 2020

dyson (vacuum cleaners) making new ventilators

looks like they are needed in the uk and elsewhere, and nothing on the cost, but compare to general motors "hundreds of millions" to retool.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/tech/dyson-ventilators-coronavirus/index.html

March 25, 2020

we had a huge fire on the next block last night

the piety bell supermarket had been closed since katrina, when i was young this was a schweggmann's grocery.

the embers were travelling for blocks, causing my neighbors and i to use garden hoses on our roofs.

at any rate, thanks to the new orleans fire department for fast response and great work.

https://twitter.com/jbevert/status/1242663998442668032

March 22, 2020

who knew the universe had rules?

1. The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going "beep, beep."

2. No outside force can harm the Coyote — only his own ineptitude or the failure of ACME products. Trains and trucks were the exception from time to time.

3. The Coyote could stop anytime — if he wasn't a fanatic.

4. No dialogue ever, except beeping and yowling in pain.

5. The Road Runner must stay on the road — for no other reason than that he's a roadrunner.

6. All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters — the southwest American desert.

7. All tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from ACME.

8. Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy (e.g., falling off a cliff).

9. The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures.

10. The audience's sympathy must remain with the Coyote.

11. The Coyote is allowed to catch the Road Runner but is not allowed to eat him.

March 5, 2020

offer the greens a deal

thats right, make them a deal

1. they declare trump a unique danger and support the dem nominee for president.

2. give them a promise of easier ballot access on future elections, and maybe even a few appointments at epa and interior.

3. if they win any lower offices, they will caucus with dems anyway, and are no more fractious than our own congresscritters.

who knows? it may lead to closer cooperation in the future. their values are not much different than our own.

March 5, 2020

democratic coronavirus response

trump is obviously fumbling this crisis badly, but perhaps he is partially right if we don't do anything except criticize.

our candidates should be leading on this subject, gathering (virtually) the best doctors and other experts to provide the best advice and a plan that we can execute as soon as trump us out of the way.

i think a team of reasonable economists might also be helpful.