U.S. Sex Workers and 'Prurient' Businesses Excluded From COVID-19 Disaster Loans

Plus: U.S. movie theaters made only a little more than $5,000 last week, COVID-19 cases in Florida surge, and more....

Stock plans are eligible for funds, yet not adult entertainers. Sex workers and anyone whose professional activities involve "prurient" products or content are ineligible for COVID-19-related loans for small businesses and the self-employed.

"Whorephobia is literally written into this covid19 relief," commented Jacq the Stripper on Twitter. "In a global pandemic, policy makers are actively making the world a worse place for sex workers and their families." 

On the Small Business Administration (SBA) website, U.S. business owners employing fewer than 500 people, sole proprietors, and independent contractors "that are impacted by the Coronavirus" can now apply for the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Small cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, and Employee Stock Ownership Plans are also eligible.

But SBA explicitly excludes a few categories of businesses and workers.

Some of these make sense: Applicants engaged in activity that's illegal under federal law are not eligible for assistance. Nor are certain agricultural enterprises, which are eligible for government funding in other forms. And members of Congress and state and local governments are also barred from SBA disaster-relief loans.

Yet some of the eligibility requirements reflect nothing more than prejudice, puritanism, and playing favorites. For instance, any entity that normally makes more than one-third of its gross annual revenue from legal gambling is excluded.

So is any applicant that presents "live performances of a prurient sexual nature," and anyone who "derive(s) directly or indirectly more than de minimis gross revenue through the sale of products or services, or the presentation of any depictions or displays, of a prurient sexual nature."

In this way, the government can make sure direct-service sex workers are still banned from COVID-19 relief loans, despite prostitution not being illegal under federal law.

They can also reject loan applications from independent workers in industries (like webcamming and porn) that are unquestionably legal across the country. And they can refuse loans to disfavored businesses, like strip clubs and sex toy shops, despite these perfectly legal businesses being forcibly shut down by state orders just the same as movie theaters, hair salons, and clothing boutiques have been.

"The goal of the assistance in the CARES act is to keep businesses intact," notes Forbes contributor Will Jeakle. "Another goal is to keep companies and their employees spending so that the structure of the economy can stay relatively stable for the snapback that should occur once the crisis is mitigated."

By denying disaster-relief loans to disfavored workers and businesses, however, authorities aren't merely trying to keep the "structure of the economy" relatively stable— they're seemingly designing a new, post-COVID-19 economy, without workers and businesses they don't like.

The only other condition barring someone from eligibility is being behind on child support payments. (Because, surely, being unemployed and banned from SBA loans will help put food in those kids' mouths! Oh, wait…)

The SBA disaster loan program is separate from the $1,200 COVID-19 relief checks that Congress approved last week for all Americans under a certain income bracket.

---

FREE MINDS

Will COVID-19 shake up conservatism? "A pandemic might not fundamentally affect world politics, but it does have the potential to shake up the Ideas Industry," writes Daniel Drezner at The Washington Post. "Simply put, viruses do not really care about sophistry."

---

FREE MARKETS

Yikes:

The Domestic Box office (movie theaters) brought in a whopping $5,179 for the week of Mar 20-26. Down 100% from $204,193,406 the same week a year ago… These numbers are just incredible.

— Strider Elass (@StriderElass) March 31, 2020

---

COVID-19 IN THE STATES

Outbreaks intensify in Florida and Michigan. As of Tuesday, "32 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico were all in lockdown, with residents told to stay home except for essential workers or to go out for essential needs such as buying groceries or seeking medical attention," notes the Daily Mail.

Michigan is one of the latest states to be overwhelmed with a surge of COVID-19 cases. Florida is also seeing a huge spike. On Tuesday, Florida reported more than 1,000 new cases in 24 hours.

---

COVID-19 BEHIND BARS

BREAKING: The Federal Bureau of Prisons will quarantine incarcerated people in every institution in their cells for 14 days to decrease the spread of the coronavirus. "This modification…is based on health concerns, not disruptive inmate behavior." https://t.co/4A4rSZ1Bt6 pic.twitter.com/8qPSVHbBqy

— The Appeal (@theappeal) April 1, 2020

Meanwhile, in D.C., the prison guard union is actually siding with prisoners for a change:

Wow! The DC DOC FOP is having a press conference tomorrow to announce their decision to participate in the @pdsdc @ACLU @ACLU_DC class action lawsuit against the DOC! pic.twitter.com/bEDHTikWKX

— Justin Eisele (@Jteisele) March 31, 2020

---

QUICK HITS

• A New Jersey couple was charged with child endangerment for hosting a child's bat mitzvah at their house on Sunday.
• After a federal judge issued a temporary block on Texas' abortion ban, an appeals court reinstated it:

https://twitter.com/byKateSmith/status/1245050590885019649

• Republicans are becoming disenchanted by President Donald Trump's COVID-19 strategy.
• State governors, contradicting Trump, say they are still woefully under-stocked on things like masks, tests, and ventilators. "You now literally will have a company call you up and say, 'Well, California just outbid you,'" said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a press conference yesterday. "It's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator."
• Another pastor, this one in Louisiana, has been arrested for holding church services in violation of a state order against large gatherings.
• Dynamism in action:

Fascinating piece by @rachsyme about how Christian Siriano transformed his fashion house into a mask factory. I know little to nothing about fashion but this taught me a lot.https://t.co/NxH3uPHJDf

— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) March 31, 2020

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Will COVID-19 shake up conservatism?

The Woke Industrial Complex seems to have taken a hit.

[8]

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[lorettawashingto]

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[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

I never was much of a cynic.

But now that side of me is coming out thanks to his pandemic.

This thing of businesses converting to mask factories - while on one level great - makes me wonder if there's some piling on the 'good will' bandwagon.

I don't know. Lotsa fog here.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I could be wrong of course but it's weird how this is playing out.

[JesseAz]

This is the one form of virtue signaling that is fine. It is helpful instead of a meaningless tweet.

[Rufus The Monocled]

True enough.

[R Mac]

Agreed. Especially since a lot of them wouldn’t be selling much of their regular products right now anyway.

[Mother's lament]

I'm all for virtue signaling if the end result is real virtue, and not merely being an engine to advance autocratic leftism masquerading as righteousness.

[Earth Skeptic]

The Woke Industrial Complex is happily exploiting (and amplifying) a tailor-made crisis.

FIFY

[loveconstitution1789]

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Straight out of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals 101. It’s the only thing that George Soros, Block Yomomma, and the rest of their totalitarian NWO minions truly excel at.

[loveconstitution1789]

JHU Sick Map

877,422 confirmed cases Worldwide. 185,241 recovered.

[loveconstitution1789]

For some reason Johns Hopkins stopped chart tracking new confirmed cases as of 3/30/2020 which stood at 188.2k

Now the total US confirmed cases is listed at 189,753. I wonder if that means this data is not being updated or we are no longer seeing 20k new confirmed cases per day, for the x number of tests done.

[loveconstitution1789]

Looks like all new data stopped as of 3/30 except a number of total new confirmed cases and that is slowing down.

I have not seen anything where less tests per day were being performed.

[Ra's al Gore]

https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1244701069608996864

CBS News Says ‘Editing Mistake’ Led To Misleading Video Showing An Italian Hospital During Segment On New York’s Coronavirus Crisis

[Earth Skeptic]

Come on, haven't you heard of creative license?

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The mistake was that they got caught doing deceptive editing again.

[Mother's lament]

"The mistake was that they got caught"
Chuckle

[Rich]

The only other condition barring someone from eligibility is being behind on child support payments.

This is outrageous! Scofflaws with more than three speeding tickets should also be ineligible!

[JesseAz]

At this point Reason needs to decide if they are for or against the giveaway. They had half a dozen articles criticizing it, but they sure do complain about it not giving enough away.

[loveconstitution1789]

unreason has never changed their position that there are only two ways to destroy the USA.

1. Nuke the economy somehow. Most likely through massive and unsustainable debt load.
2. Create such a panic that society breaks down. See KungFlu hysteria propagated by the treasonous media types.

Boehm is an example of this. He used to brag about the DJIA going down. When it went up...crickets. I do laugh that he mostly stopped doing that and didnt even really do it when the DJIA dropped 10 points in 3 weeks. Probably because this pesky economy is so strong it keeps trying to go back up IN SPITE of media propaganda.

[Hank Phillips]

Somehow? How about by faith-based gubmint subsidies for FATF-GAFI, the asset-forfeiture folks who brought us the Bush Crash of 2008, both Flash Crashes, and were holding FATF Week in Paris February 16-20 when the stock markets coincidentally (as always) crashed?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I think they are generally against the giveaway. First and foremost, it's a giant wealth transfer, but also in part because it picks winners and losers. In this case it picked sex workers as losers. I don't see how pointing that out is showing support for it.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I wouldn't even go so far as to call it a wealth transfer--it's just adding further debt on to the national credit card balance.

I highly doubt, after 60-plus years of the national debt not going down, any of this will actually be paid off, even by the Millennials' grandkids.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Well... wealth isn't created by Congress. So of course it's transferred wealth from somewhere. Whether that be from taxpayers (or future taxpayers) or from the savings accounts of those that will be impacted by the inflation it ushers in, it's certainly transferring wealth.

[Earth Skeptic]

Feature, not bug.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Domestic Box office (movie theaters) brought in a whopping $5,179 for the week of Mar 20-26.

Just wait until they start regularly cranking out movies like Charlie's Angels.

[Don't look at me!]

Life goes on without movie stars. Shocking!

[Echo Chamber]

But only 38 states are on lock down. Sounds odd

[Minadin]

My state is not on lock down. My city and county have a general 'Stay At Home' guidance in effect, and have banned gatherings of more than 10 people. But there are rural counties in the state that have 0 confirmed cases - I don't even know if they have suspected cases even - so they haven't made it state-wide.

[Nardz]

Florida was good, but now state lockdown starting tomorrow

[The Constitutionalist]

And a lockdown doesn't mean much. You can leave home in Virginia for a million different reasons.

[Ra's al Gore]

As the Press Begins Laying Off "Journalists," Suddenly "Journalists" Discover That There Is an Actual Cost to Economic Shutdown

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=386614

[Earth Skeptic]

Also: journalists discover that they are actually part of "the economy".

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Saw an article from one of the local "independent"(i.e., Democratic Party shill) rags talking about how these smaller press orgs are going to get steamrolled in the next few months--a whole lot will either end up shutting down or getting bought up by larger media organs.

My old hometown paper got bought up by the Boulder Daily Camera consortium that purchased a bunch of other Boulder County newspapers, which itself is owned by the same hedge fund company that owns the Denver Post, and that was before this shitshow. I wouldn't be surprised if news happenings in these suburban or rural towns ends up being done on a blog by bored retirees who attend all the city council meetings.

[Earth Skeptic]

And some are begging for federal or local bailouts. A few are wishing for (and want to be part of) a new State Media.

[R Mac]

Aren’t they already?

[darkflame]

my heart bleeds. Any asshole can write down their opinion and share it with social media, it kinda makes "journalists" a dime a dozen and as replaceable as copy paper.

[loveconstitution1789]

Johns Hopkins ABX Guide Coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)

AGE DEATH RATE (all cases)
80+ years old 14.8%
70-79 years old 8.0%
60-69 years old 3.6%
50-59 years old 1.3%
40-49 years old 0.4%
30-39 years old 0.2%
20-29 years old 0.2%
10-19 years old 0.2%
0-9 years old no fatalities

To fight the hysterical media's lies about how bad this disease is.

Stop the media hysteria now!

[Leo Kovalensky II]

That looks to be pretty bad if you're 60+.

[loveconstitution1789]

It's not bad because there are tens/hundreds of thousands/millions of Americans who had/have Wuhanvirus and have not been tested, so they are not counted.

Every negative and non-death from KungFlu can affect the death rate. The actual deaths from COVID19 is a known number.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Yeah, I get that. But even if the number infected was twice what they have now and the rates were halved, 7.4% is a significant risk for 80+. And 1.8% for 60-69 is not nothing.

I'm not saying it's worthy of the panic that is going on now, but it's not something people 60+ shouldn't be concerned about.

[Under_Pressure]

Well yes, I don't think anyone has argued that the risks were trivial for 80+. But at that age, taking a shower is risky too. I looked at the SS administration actuarial tables when this was all starting, and as I recall on average the chances of dying in any given year for someone in their 80s was about 10% (from around 7% at age 80 to around 15% at 89).

As for 60s... I'd take a 98% chance of survival all day long. I'd guess the ones that do die in that cohort are almost exclusively those that already have underlying conditions.

[JesseAz]

Old people die:

Number of deaths of persons age 65 and over: 2,067,404
Deaths per 100,000 population:
65-74: 1,790.9
75-84: 4,472.6
85 and over: 13,573.6

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/older-american-health.htm

The baseline death rate for over 85 is already 13%. There will be overlap with Covid.

[loveconstitution1789]

I think that is why there are actually two sets of death rates for 80+. One for confirmed cases who died "because" of KungFlu and those who died of other causes but were infected with Wuhanvirus.

20 something % death rate for 80+ year olds for all causes seems low.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The stats for ventilators aren't much better. Saw an article that cited a couple of early studies showing that people who need to be put on vents have a mortality rate of about 65-85%. For the majority so far, going on a vent basically means they're trying to make you as comfortable as possible before you actually kick off.

[Echo Chamber]

The ones on ventilators appear to be on them for a long time regardless of outcome. Even ones not on ventilators stay sick a long time. The Diamond Princess still has about a 100 active cases, and that story started almost 2 months ago
KungFlu ain't your usual flu.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I wonder how many of those 100 cases is really BatAIDS, and how many of them are existing medical conditions that they are attributing to it.

I've actually battled the flu for a month so it's not unheard of for these things to linger, but two months is a long damn time.

[loveconstitution1789]

If the KungFlu lung damage thing is true, people need the ventilators to get just enough oxygen into their lungs and thereby blood so their brain is not starved and shuts off.

[Fist of Etiquette]

State governors, contradicting Trump, say they are still woefully under-stocked on things like masks, tests, and ventilators.

I'm sure no one is politicizing this.

[JesseAz]

Nope, not at all. false claims? Why would a democratic governor or do that?

https://pjmedia.com/trending/trump-destroys-connecticut-governors-claim-the-strategic-national-stockpile-has-been-emptied/

[Ra's al Gore]

Fish Tank Cleaner Lady: I Thought About Divorcing My Husband, Because Sometimes I'm "Furious"

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=386611

[Anomalous]

If she had, she would have cleaned him out.

[Under_Pressure]

This comment on that post is puts it as well as anything I've seen:

"I think it's one of two things:

1) They both tried to do a political stunt to get sick and hospitalized and make a news story, and it went horribly wrong. And no she's making lemonade out of lemons.

2) She really was trying to kill her husband.

I guess the only thing is, how did she know it would kill him? I almost think you would have to have some deeper medical knowledge.

To me this is Jussie Smollet, but Smollet accidentally being killed by the Nigerians he hired to rough him up."

[loveconstitution1789]

Guy sleeps with the fishes now. Well, somebody's fishes.

[loveconstitution1789]

Instead of focusing on the lies the media are telling, here is some good news.

New blood test can detect 50 types of cancer

[Rich]

Good news, indeed! Thanks, lc.

[Echo Chamber]

"Detection was better the more advanced the disease was. Overall, cancer was correctly detected in 18% of those with stage I cancer, but in 93% of those with stage IV cancer."
So it will say you have cancer at the point where's not much you can do about it. But it's progress.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Great news!

[JesseAz]

Why is the test racist against other cancers that I assume may be higher on some minority population somewhere?

[Echo Chamber]

Cancer privilege

[Rich]

Nice band name.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"It's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator."

Perhaps when you took on the jobs of governor of your respective states you should have had a plan in place that didn't consist solely of begging the feds.

[Don't look at me!]

It’s like running a business or something...

[Earth Skeptic]

Lack of foresight and planning is a sin only others can commit.

[De Oppresso Liber]

You would have a point, if the feds didn't control the regs that dictate ventilator design and thus cost. Or if the feds didn't have a magic money printer that is impossible to bid against. Or if the feds didn't control import laws. Or if the feds didn't control the entire supply chain for drugs in some form or fashion. Or or or...

[R Mac]

Hey Lying Jeffy, who were all the people that said Dr. Fauci committed treason?

[Dillinger]

lol. did you tweet that @him?

[Rich]

Republicans are becoming disenchanted by President Donald Trump's COVID-19 strategy.

Let the re-enchantment begin!

[Ra's al Gore]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1245002798418350081

It’s kind of strange that after Joe Biden was accused of sexual assault, his Senior Adviser,
@SymoneDSanders
went through and deleted all of her Tweets about Kavanaugh.

What happened here?

[Ra's al Gore]

Being a Democrat means free passes for making passes, or worse. Everyone knew Bill Clinton was a scumbag – even now his wrinkly carcass is probably soaking in a hot tub with a couple of exotic dancers on loan from The Gilded Pastie. Not even Felonia Milhous von Pantsuit cares. She’s got her Chardonnay and her Twitter account where she can chuckle about the pandemic and imagine that if she had remembered Wisconsin and was president, she would have ordered a million new ventilators back in August because she’s smart.

And everyone knew that sauced harpy’s donor and pal Harvey – hell, he was every liberal’s donor and pal – was leaving no starlet unturned out. Weinstein fell not because liberals were outraged but because he was on the losing side of an internal power struggle against the old guard elite within liberalism. Suddenly, overnight, Harvey’s wink-wink nudge-nudge quirks turned from awards show joke fodder into something sinister. But his behavior never changed.

And the same goes for Jeffrey Epstein, who didn’t kill himself.

[Ra's al Gore]

Like all the trash people in his trash party, Biden wanted to crucify Brett Kavanagh over a patently ridiculous lie while posing as dedicated protectors of womenfolk. They all knew it was a joke, but who cares if you have to ruin a good man if doing so protects the ability to off babies up through adolescence? And now we have this, which may or may not be real but sure as heck sounds consistent with how this skeevy creep behaves and talks, and instead of believe all women, we get, “Nah, ignore the victims that hurt our chances in November.”

[creech]

Can we get some authentic Biden quotes about Kavanaugh? Would be very useful in the coming debates with friends who support Creepy Joe.

[Don't look at me!]

“ Biden says Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, “gave courageous, credible and powerful testimony” before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. He says he believed Ford and “the country believed her.”

[Mother's lament]

"What happened here?"

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
Symone's deleting tweets over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time I stop, Joe, what's that sound
Better look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
I'm still right when everybody's wrong
Young ladies speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance when touching behinds
It's time I stop, Joe, what's that sound
Better look what's going down

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just issued a temporary stay of last night's decision to block the ban from going into effect.

Won't someone think of the spare parts industry.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A New Jersey couple was charged with child endangerment for hosting a child's bat mitzvah at their house on Sunday.

She's a woman now.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Wasn't it a bat mitzvah that caused this COVID thing I keep hearing about?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I should have scrolled first...

[Fats of Fury]

No, it was a bat mikveh.

[loveconstitution1789]

If the Virus Hadn’t Caused the Crash, Something Else Would Have

Lefties and Anarchists still cannot believe that American business is hanging in there despite all the tyrannical government lockdown demands.

So they are making up lies that the strongest economy in US history would have crashed soon...because something. Somehow this supposed bubble economy is still strong IN SPITE OF government tyranny.

[Earth Skeptic]

Progressive core beliefs:

Capitalism and a free market are inherently evil and unfair.
The universe can and should deliver fairness and justice for all.

Therefore, the market economy will fail. And if they can encourage that to happen...

[De Oppresso Liber]

I guess you've never heard of a treasury yield inversion. Yes, a recession was coming. You can't run 0 interest rates and then cut taxes and run a huge deficit and not expect fallout.

Have you never heard of business cycles, either? This was the longest bull market in history. Recession follows boom. The more you overheat the market (Trump deficit spending), the more it recedes when people decide to take their profits.

[R Mac]

Why do you enjoy being dishonest so much?

[De Oppresso Liber]

Look it up, simpleton.

[R Mac]

Where would I look up the reason you enjoy being so dishonest?

[Don't look at me!]

Instant and mandated 30% unemployment has nothing to do with it.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Of course it does, it was a catalyst.

[R Mac]

Then you call me a simpleton, lol.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

There was going to be a downturn at some point, anyway, there always are. The articles stating, "this just shows how weak the economy really was!" are just galaxy-brained takes, though.

[R Mac]

Of course it’s two different points. But Lying Jeffy is conflating them because he’s inherently dishonest.

[loveconstitution1789]

Plus, an inevitable market correction could have meant a million different scenarios.

This was a purposeful media and politician incitement of hysteria in order to nuke our economy.

[R Mac]

Having the catalyst of a forced 30% unemployment rate wouldn’t make a difference on the scenario in Lying Jeffy’s mind.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Another pastor, this one in Louisiana, has been arrested for holding church services in violation of a state order against large gatherings.

The First Amendment isn't a suicide cult.

[Earth Skeptic]

Unless you follow Jim Jones.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...Christian Siriano transformed his fashion house into a mask factory.

You better work.

[Rich]

A New Jersey couple was charged with child endangerment for hosting a child's bat mitzvah at their house on Sunday.

Well, no wonder, since the virus originated in bats!

[Earth Skeptic]

Go ahead, blame it on the Jews.

[lap83]

more like "bat not-a-mitzvah"

[loveconstitution1789]

This is what China did to beat coronavirus. Experts say America couldn't handle it

Just remember folks. The Lefties want us to implement Communist measures to control a disease that barely kills any of its infected hosts. Heart disease kills 560,000 Americans every year.

This desperation by Lefties is a good sign. It means coup #2 has not worked .

[Fist of Etiquette]

Meanwhile, in D.C., the prison guard union is actually siding with prisoners for a change...

They see which way the wind is blowing, and it's right in their faces.

[Ra's al Gore]

Last week, Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus bill and — like Kermit the Frog’s romantic dreams — there was a bit of pork involved.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

Where are those goddamn Tea-Baggers who protested Obama's $800 billion (with 1/3 of that in tax cuts) stimulus?

Where are those bigoted shit-wads now that The Dotard pushed through $2 trillion in handouts?

[JesseAz]

You really are pushing this idiocy hard aren't you? Compare the original Trump proposal if you want to blame him, the one before Congress started to open up the goodie bag on their own.

In this time of shut down, although your burger job is probably open, try opening a civics book. Learn how spending originates. And yes I said this in 2009 as well where I put the blame on Pelosi and Reid. The TARP loan programs were actually repaid, the stimulus was a string of political cash give aways.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Yeah, but you continue to act as if both Trump has no pull with the Republicans in the legislature and he wasn't calling for passage of this spending monstrosity.

To take your defense further we could say that the tax cuts don't belong to Trump either because Congress passed them. And of course that would be equally as ridiculous.

[loveconstitution1789]

Pick a lane.

Either Trump is a master politician who controls every bureaucrat and Congressman to be Hitler, or not.

Either this is all "Trump's economy" good and bad since Jan 20, 2017 or not.

Either Trump is smarter and more skilled at strategies that setback Socialists or its blind luck.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

You need to pick a lane. Either Trump bears some responsibility for the legislation that he signs, or he gets none of the credit for the good that he's done, like the tax cuts.

And I don't accept your black and white approach to any of this. Of course Trump deserves some of the credit for the good legislation that he has signed, just as he deserves some of the credit for the bad legislation that he's signed, including this and every other massive spending increase that he has signed.

[JesseAz]

Finally, you said something that I can mildly agree with. yes, Trump bares some blame. Palin is not imparting only some blame. Finally, you get it. The word some matters.

[loveconstitution1789]

Trump absolutely bears responsibility for Legislation that he urges for and/or signs.

If he never urged certain budget busting spending bills and vetoed them, then he would be 0% at fault.

The media lies, so who really knows how much influence he has over budgets and Trump chooses not to veto veto-proof bills. ~5% at fault.

So when I see articles that assign the reasonable tiny portion of the blame on Trump for Congressional debacles, I will lighten up on calling out the TDS.

I still have yet to see a single article from MSM or unreason about how the media incited this KungFlu hysteria. They are 99% at fault for that bullshit.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Either this is all “Trump’s economy” good and bad since Jan 20, 2017 or not.

And look at the statist thinking that President actually controls the economy. Haha.

[loveconstitution1789]

It's a figure of speech retard. The media calls the economy "President X's economy" and that is why I used that turn of phrase.

Of course Presidents dont control economies but they can implement and remove certain policies that impact economies in some form.

Trump ran on opening up the throttle on the economy and got Congress to implement some of his strategies, like tax breaks. His strategy worked.

[JesseAz]

I am comparing the original suggestion from Trump to the final bill after negotiations of GOP and Dems in the Senate. They are nowhere near the same or within the same ballpark. How much pull do you think he actually had? The bill passed unanimously.

Some of you honestly think that Trump is a god king in your assertions of what he can and can't do. He has been well knocked on what he would like to do by both Congress as well as the Judicial branch. He has largely worked inside what change he can do in the Executive. Even the tax cuts were modified quite a bit from his original discussions on it. Likewise, I never called them the Trump tax cuts, I always refer to them as the tax cuts. But then again, I actually understand how our government works.

[loveconstitution1789]

Thanks JesseAz. That was going to be a point of mine but I forgot to circle back around to that.

This spending bill mostly contained spending items that trump never asked for or wanted.

[JesseAz]

Pelosis phase 4 plan to fight covid 19 is a bag of giveaways... pensions for unions, vote reforms, and tax breaks for rich blue state democrats.

https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/03/31/pelosis-phase-4-coronavirus-relief-reinstate-salt-deductions-high-earners/

I'm sure we will have multiple articles on this.

[Rich]

It would force lower-tax and more efficient states to subsidize the state and local tax burden imposed by high-tax blue states by their own policies.

"We're all in this together!"

[Idle Hands]

This shows that the pandemic is indeed serious and not at all something we should be playing political games with.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Voting by mail is a good thing. If you don't want people to vote, you might not be a libertarian.

[JesseAz]

Do you get paid by the non sequitur?

[De Oppresso Liber]

You listed vote reforms as a give away. Please tell us the evils of allowing americans to vote by mail. Works great in Washington State.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Guess you haven't received your talking points yet. Update us when you do.

[R Mac]

Clearly you got all yours. Except how to respond after repeatedly getting caught lying.

[De Oppresso Liber]

I told you I don't like you that way.

[R Mac]

Like me the way you would someone you don’t lie to constantly? You must not like anyone on this site that way either.

And I really have a hard time believing you like anyone in your real life in that way either. Since lying is part of your character.

Speaking of which, who all said that Dr. Fauci committed treason?

[Ra's al Gore]

January 11: Chinese state media report the first known death from an illness originating in the Wuhan market.
January 15: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a vote to send articles of impeachment to the Senate. Pelosi and House Democrats celebrate the “solemn” occasion with a signing ceremony, using commemorative pens. That same day, the first person with coronavirus in the United States arrives from China, where he had been in Wuhan.
January 21: The first American case of coronavirus is confirmed at a clinic in Snohomish County, Washington.
January 23: The House impeachment managers make their opening arguments for removing President Trump.
January 23: China closes off the city of Wuhan completely to slow the spread of coronavirus to the rest of China.
January 27: The White House convenes a special task force to deal with the emerging threat of coronavirus.
January 29: The president chairs a meeting of the White House coronavirus task force for the first time.
January 30: Senators begin asking two days of questions of both sides in the president’s impeachment trial.
January 30: The World Health Organization declares a global health emergency as coronavirus continues to spread.
January 31: The Senate holds a vote on whether to allow further witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial.
January 31: President Trump declares a national health emergency and imposes a ban on travel to and from China. Former Vice President Joe Biden calls Trump’s decision “hysterical xenophobia … and fear-mongering.”
February 2: The first death from coronavirus outside China is reported in the Philippines.
February 3: House impeachment managers begin closing arguments, calling Trump a threat to national security.
February 4: President Trump talks about coronavirus in his State of the Union address; Pelosi rips up every page.
February 5: The Senate votes to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment, 52-48 and 53-47.
February 5: House Democrats finally take up coronavirus in the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia.

[creech]

Where are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?

[JesseAz]

The video of Pelosi telling people to gather in Chinatown for the lunar new year is hilarious.

[Earth Skeptic]

Try the bat soup!

[Don't look at me!]

Tly the bat soup.

[Earth Skeptic]

History is racist!

[De Oppresso Liber]

Jan. 22: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China.”

Feb. 2: “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China. It’s going to be fine.”

Feb. 24: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”

Feb. 25: “CDC & my administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.”

Feb. 25: “I think that’s a problem that’s going to go away. They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.”

Feb. 26: “We’re going very substantially down, not up.”

Feb. 27: “One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”

Feb. 28: “We’re ordering a lot of supplies. We’re ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn’t be ordering unless it was something like this. But we’re ordering a lot of different elements of medical.”

March 2: “A lot of things are happening, a lot of very exciting things are happening and they’re happening very rapidly.”

March 4: “If we have thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work – some of them go to work, but they get better.”

March 6: “I think we’re doing a really good job in this country at keeping it down… a tremendous job at keeping it down.”

March 6: “Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. And the tests are beautiful. They are perfect just like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. Right? This was not as perfect as that but pretty good.”

March 8: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House for our attack on Coronavirus.”

March 9: “The Fake News media & their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power to inflame the Coronavirus situation.”

March 10: “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”

[JesseAz]

What happened on January 28th? You seem to have skipped that part.

[De Oppresso Liber]

you seem to skip the entire rest of it, where DJT continually downplays the risk, pumps the stock market right before the biggest single day drop in history, claims responsibility for every good thing while absolutely denying responsiblity for any bad thing, and demanding "gratitude" from state governors.

Oh, your state needs medical aid? "I want you to do me a favor, though..."

[Nardz]

De espresso, fully submitted to the hive mind.
Pathetic

[De Oppresso Liber]

Did the president attempt to pump stocks just before the biggest single day loss in history? Yes or no?

[Mother's lament]

DOL: "No! Don't look at Pelosi, de Blasio or Whitmer, look over there!"

And of course DOL won't explain exactly what's "downplayed" or why taking credit when due is bad, because all he has is a big pile of innuendo and assumption and implication he uses to assert opportunistic outrage.

[R Mac]

He’s really just a liar, who lies in many different ways.

[De Oppresso Liber]

They are all bad, but only one is the president, and only one is worshiped as a demi god around here.

[Mother's lament]

Yeah, but Obama isn't president anymore, and you nutbags think Trump is a demiurge.

[loveconstitution1789]

Sock troll also left off where Trump spent the last 3+ years trying to limit non-Americans who can enter the USA for safety reasons (which could have included KungFlu sick people) and was attacked as racist and xenophobic.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Tell me how the muslim ban helped us achieve the most corona infections in the world.

[R Mac]

Tell us what sickness has invaded your mind where you can so easily, and repeatedly, lie about what others say?

[De Oppresso Liber]

"Sock troll also left off where Trump spent the last 3+ years trying to limit non-Americans who can enter the USA for safety reasons"

Just hitting the pitch he tee'd up for me.

[R Mac]

As dishonesty as possible, but, that’s how you roll, Lying Jeffy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Outbreaks intensify in Florida and Michigan.

45 electoral votes! (For now...)

[JesseAz]

Media attacked trump for the following as a lie:

"Well, I think the 3.4 percent is really a false number. Now, and this is just my hunch, and — but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this. Because a lot people will have this and it's very mild. They'll get better very rapidly. They don't even see a doctor. They don't even call a doctor," Trump said. "I think that that number is very high. I think the number, personally, I would say the number is way under 1 percent."

Well.. newest estimates put the rate at .66%.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/trump-was-right-coronavirus-death-rate-much-lower-than-previous-estimates-study-says/

[loveconstitution1789]

The media were shown to be liars before KuingFlu hit and nothing has changed.

We could still breaking into Civil War 2.0 based on the government tyranny but it is looking like America will pull thru this and trump will still get reelected.

Then Lefties will get violent as their last hope to destroy America since this KungFlu hysteria is not working.

[loveconstitution1789]

FDA Has Authorized Two-Minute Antibody Test Kit to Identify Coronavirus Infections

Hopefully, this type of anti-body test will be the end of the hysteria in the USA. It might show that most Americans have been exposed to KungFlu and only a portion of those people ever developed symptoms. Most Americans are asymptomatic carriers of Wuhanvirus.

[Illocust]

Good, I've been waiting for this. I'm pretty sure Covid passed through my work place (one guy on the floor had it, and mysteriously four people in group became sick about a week after he stopped coming in), but without anyone get sick enough to be hospitalized, no one is getting tested.

[loveconstitution1789]

The testing of Americans to see who had it but never experienced symptoms or it was minor will hopefully allow this whole media hysteria to be dropped at their feet.

Then they can use their feet to walk to an unemployment office or a safe place to cry when Trump wins reelection and the economy roars back to life.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Stock plans are eligible for funds, yet not adult entertainers.

Gotta whore yourself in an approved way.

[JesseAz]

Will COVID-19 shake up conservatism? "A pandemic might not fundamentally affect world politics, but it does have the potential to shake up the Ideas Industry," writes Daniel Drezner at The Washington Post. "Simply put, viruses do not really care about sophistry."

Lol... fuck. Project some more. Because Hogan chinaman wasnt sophistry? Test everyone as a cure isnt sophistry? What have democrats actually proposed that would have helped the pandemic? These are the assholes that stated china travel bans as racist. These are the idiots who claim viruses dont recognize borders.

[JesseAz]

" hug a chinaman"

[Ken Shultz]

If the the coronavirus changes politics, it'll remind everybody what it was like when their primary concern was the economy--rather than whether strippers were getting SBA loans, gay men could donate blood, or transexuals could use the women's bathroom. The media will still be talking about racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and global warming, but the voters will be thinking about whether they're about to lose their job, their home, and the standard of living, and none of that other shit matters much in comparison--not even to African-Americans, illegal aliens, LGBTQI+, or environmentalists.

Everybody needs to pay rent or make a house payment.

Everybody needs money. That's why they call it "money".

[Ken Shultz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2OeK4MRkM

[Earth Skeptic]

Unless you have gone so far off the rails that you want a pure communitarian world without money. Then pandemic hysteria and economic collapse is a golden opportunity.

[Mother's lament]

"U.S. Sex Workers and 'Prurient' Businesses Excluded From COVID-19 Disaster Loans"

Oh for fucks sake, take it online like millions of other businesses have had to for the last twenty years.

I can't believe Reason is pushing for this insane government largeness to be also extended to pimps.

[Earth Skeptic]

Porn online? It'll never work.

[Idle Hands]

I mean I get sex workers are your beat, but maybe we should focus on the fact that irregardless if anyone get's the loans we could be looking at an economic calamity of historic proportions even if they lifted every ban tomorrow let alone 15 days from now or a month from now which seems to be the most probable at this point. The payroll loans are like putting a ban-aide on on a decapitated head. Sex workers might be one few industries that survive this since demand will always be there.

[Don't look at me!]

Don’t use irregardless. Ever.

[Idle Hands]

k.

[lap83]

https://youtu.be/LY26nB5ngAc?t=330
relevant

[American Mongrel]

People really want the word...
Irrespective has exploded recently. And its a pretty awkward word.
If literally now means figuratively, we can use irregardless.
I could care less is all good too.

[Ken Shultz]

Of Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise lines, how many of them are domiciled in the United States and pay taxes in the U.S.?

A) Three
B) Two
C) One
D) None

The correct answer is D) None.

If for some reason, that isn't enough not to bail them out with taxpayer money, we should at least wait to see if they survive the lawsuits that are sure to be coming--alleging that they continued to operate despite knowing that they were launching with passengers who were likely to be infected with the coronavirus.

In all seriousness, how could they not have known this would be a problem?

[loveconstitution1789]

Sweden is becoming less Socialist by the day.

[loveconstitution1789]

Weird. unreason wont let links about this story from marketwatch nor wsj post right now.

[JesseAz]

I had that problem the other day when the malaria drug first posted. Couldnt link to any positive stories on it.

[loveconstitution1789]

Weird. I linked a few other stories this morning just fine.

*reaches for tin foil

[Ra's al Gore]

Same thing just happened to me for marketwatch/Sweden stories. Reason didn't even return me to comments after I posted.

[StackOfCoins]

I like how ENB is complaining that sex workers and fucking camgirls of all people aren't getting a handout. Nearly every member of Congress is religious. They may be the type that pray before dinner. But don't expect an article on how popular religions can be dangers to liberty anytime soon.

[Under_Pressure]

I thought camgirls was a weird one to include. I mean... this is their time to shine, right? They have a huge audience stuck at home, live in person adult entertainment isn't an option, they work from home, rarely in groups of more than 10 (who could afford that?), etc.

[Mother's lament]

It's lazy journalism. Once or twice a week take a mantra you've been repeating for a decade and shoehorn it in to the topic du jour.

Coupled with her tendency to report on her twitter feed, perhaps it's time for her editor to tell her to get it together.

[Vernon Depner]

Our hard-working lap dancers need masks now!

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

With GDP forecasts of -14% and -10% for the middle quarters of 2020 it insures that the Con Man's GDP numbers will be BELOW that of the Obama averages.

BUT WE NEED A WHITE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT! GDP WILL BE FIVE OR TEN PERCENT!

[Sevo]

You realize what a fucking ignoramus you make yourself, right, turd? The economy is pretty much shut down, nationwide, as a result of panic promoted by assholes like you, and now you're cheer-leading for a recession.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

Obama had to deal with the Bushpig's Financial Collapse.

[JesseAz]

Lol. God. Stick to child porn. It's the only topic you thrive in.

[Sevo]

Double down on being a cherry-picking piece of shit.
Fucking failed day-trader with daddy issues, a coke habit and a 'thing' for kiddie porn, and you're here to advise us regarding your politics?
You can't be the worst humanity has to offer, but you're real, real close..

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

Hey, I quit cocaine last week. For real this time.

[Sevo]

Real, real close; crawling through the bottom layer of human slime, and lying about everything always.
Fuck off and die.

[Dillinger]

saddest thing you've typed here.

[loveconstitution1789]

SPB ran out of runaway boys to do cocaine off of.

[loveconstitution1789]

You can tell Lefty media types are upset that IN SPITE OF lockdown orders, much of the US economy is still hanging on.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

You are no doubt thrilled with your $1200 handout from the Con Man. You fucking takers make me sick. You know that future taxpayers are on the hook for your handouts?

You Fucking lazy ass taker who posts shit every day on a message board and won't work for a living.

[loveconstitution1789]

You poor sock troll.

I make so much money that I am likely not getting a welfare check.

Or if I do, it will be in my wife and my name on a single check. I have not convinced her to not cash her check and send it ripped up to unreason staff.

[loveconstitution1789]

SPB, unlike your household where the Librarian dictates what you can and cannot do on the public computer, I have a spouse's desires to consider.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Trump is the one now calling for social distancing into June. Is he promoting panic, too? Or is it just "promoting panic" when someone you don't love unconditionally does it?

[Sevo]

"...Is he promoting panic, too?.."

Yes.
Stuff your TDS up your ass so your head has company.

[R Mac]

Shush Sevo, everyone here worships Trump as a demigod. Don’t bother to post something that contradicts that, because Lying Jeffy will pretend you didn’t say it by tomorrow.

[JesseAz]

Are you still trying to claim Trump is responsible for Covid? I mean we are used to your idiocy, but not even Pod would try this angle.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

No, but wingnuts are saying that the 2009 Obama H1N1 swine virus killed MOAR PEOPLE and was his fault!

[JesseAz]

Link please? The first statement is true. Please link to someone blaming obama for diseases.

Fuck you're dumb.

[R Mac]

He’ll link to that, right after Lying Jeffy says who said Dr. Fauci committed treason.

[Sevo]

Your TDS ate your cite, you limy piece of shit.

[Mother's lament]

"wingnuts are saying that the 2009 Obama H1N1 swine virus... was his fault"

"Hi, my name is Buttplug, and I like to completely make shit up"

[Sevo]

"Watchdog finds new problems with FBI wiretap applications"
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/31/watchdog-finds-new-problems-fbi-wiretap-applications/111512016/

But since they did it to other people also, the Page wiretaps can't possibly be politically-motivated, right?

[JesseAz]

DOL actually made that argument yesterday. That because the FBI sucked on general, it means they didnt target trump.

[Nardz]

That was the whole point of Shackleford's article
It fn ridiculous

[De Oppresso Liber]

They didn't. Remember the earth shaking IG report that totally exonerated the FBI, thank you!

[JesseAz]

LOL. you think it exonerated the FBI??? Horowitz even said otherwise during his testimony. Where do you get your opinions from, Comey himself?

[De Oppresso Liber]

Totally exonerated, thank you.

[JesseAz]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked the inspector general, “Former FBI Director James Comey said this week that your report vindicates him. Is that a fair assessment of your report?”

Horowitz rejected the notion that anyone linked to the investigation should feel exonerated. “You know, I think the activities we found here don’t vindicate anybody who touched this,” he said.

Graham went on to bring up comments Comey made last year that “the notion that FISA was abused” in the investigation was “nonsense,” asking Horowitz if he took issue with that.

“Certainly our findings were that there were significant problems,” Horowitz replied.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/doj-inspector-general-michael-horowitz-my-report-doesnt-vindicate-anybody

even used a lefty link for you.

[R Mac]

It won’t matter. Something that doesn’t fit his lefty narrative will be ignored by his inherently dishonest mind.

[De Oppresso Liber]

"I believe a reasonable person looking at these facts could conclude that all three elements of the crime of obstruction of justice have been met, and I'd like to ask you the reason, again, you did not indict Donald Trump is because of the OLC (the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel) opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?" Lieu asked.

"That is correct," Mueller answered.

[R Mac]

I thought this was a thread about the FBI... oh wait, it’s you.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Someone make a diagram for R Mac, he's having a little trouble.

[R Mac]

No, I understand the multiple ways you are dishonest very clearly.

[De Oppresso Liber]

And I don't read the beast.

[R Mac]

Thank you for proving my point so quickly!

[Ken Shultz]

You know the media's TDS is acting up when they report on the things that President Trump didn't do--as if it were a big story.

Trump backs away from ordering a two-week lock down in the New York region? That's great. I guess it lets you cast aspersions on him for doing something--regardless of whether he actually did it?

President Trump has also not rounded up Chinese-Americans in internment camps, so I guess that's a legitimate headline, too?

[JesseAz]

They live in a world where they imagine him as orange hitler. They actually got mad at him for not going full fascist. It is insane.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

They actually got mad at him for not going full fascist.

At least you're finally admitting that he's gone partial fascist, what with the DPA edicts.

[Ken Shultz]

That wasn't the implication at all.

What part of deciding NOT to impose a lock down on the New York Area is partially fascist?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

None of Trump's decision regarding not locking down areas is fascist. (Bolded in case you decide to ignore it) I've praised him in other threads for not locking down areas, legally speaking.

But the response was to Jesse who earlier this week said that Trump's invoking the DPA to order businesses to make products that they don't know how to make wasn't fascist. That's the very definition of fascism.

I answered your question above. Do you think Trump should invoke the DPA to force companies like GM to make ventilators?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

And a followup question, what would be the best word to describe an economic system where the government controls the means of production, through the DPA for instance, for the #NationalGood, while maintaining the facade of private ownership of property?

That is precisely what Trump's DPA orders do. And yes, it's the textbook definition of fascism as an economic system.

[Ken Shultz]

I disagree with that, and I wish Trump hadn't done it. In fact, I'll downright criticize him for it. He's wrong to do that.

I wish more of Trump's progressives critics would criticize the government for taking over businesses and telling them what to do; unfortunately, however, it appears that Trump did this in reaction to his progressive critics.

"I’m calling on the Federal Government to nationalize the medical supply chain.

The Federal Government should immediately use the Defense Production Act to order companies to make gowns, masks and gloves.

Currently, states are competing against other states for supplies."

----New York Governor Andrews Cuomo, March 22, 2020

https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1241744786366889984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

We're not about to pretend that President Trump was demonstrably worse than the progressives on this, are we? What he's done is demonstrably better than what progressive luminaries like Governor Cuomo were calling for him to do. Moreover, what Governor Cuomo was calling for was far worse than what President Trump actually did.

No, because President Trump did a bad thing doesn't make him just as bad as his progressive opponents, who were calling for far more fascism than President Trump would give them--despite their continued calls for more.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I've never said he's worse than progressives. In fact, he's better! That probably surprises you, to hear me say that, what with my TDS and all.

But why vote for an opposition party, like the Republicans, when as we've seen they start mimicking the worst parts of the left wing as soon as SHTF. This crisis has exposed Trump for what he is, a fan of big government solutions in the face of a crisis. Is he as bad as Pelosi, Schumer, or Cuomo? No. But he's certainly bad enough to have not earned the votes of people like me who value individual liberty.

[JesseAz]

The problem is Leo, is that you only ever criticize him for not being perfect. We've had this discussion. You refuse to acknowledge the vast majority of the time that Trump hasn't been that terrible, instead you solely criticize him for not being perfect enough.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

What value is there in coming here and high-fiving all of the conservatives when Trump does something good? I guess it's just not my way of thinking. Discussion on the internet really isn't worth my time if we're all just agreeing on everything.

[Ken Shultz]

There's a thing called a false dichotomy, where people try to pretend there are more than two choices because they want you to pick from one of them. It would be great if that were the case here, but it isn't.

Get your head around this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law

When the difference between the two parties is negligible, whether libertarians nationally swing one way or the other, vote for the Libertarian Party nominee, or don't vote at all doesn't really matter.

When the difference is between a Republican who is more libertarian and capitalist and a Democrat who is more authoritarian and socialist, then the choice between Republicans and Democrats isn't a false dichotomy. It's just a legitimate dichotomy.

Now is one of those times of legitimate dichotomy.

If Hillary Clinton were in the White House, we'd probably be at war in Syria, we'd have addressed the problems with ObamaCare by doubling down on socialism, and the rescue package we passed because of the coronavirus would have been substantially more Keynesian and socialist. Our country is more libertarian and capitalist because President Trump is in the White House than it would have been otherwise, and that remains true with Biden in office. Biden has neither the principles nor the balls to stand against the authoritarian and socialist impulses of his party, and his policy responses to future problems are likely to reflect that.

In short, because of single member districts and Duverger's law, as the Democrats become increasingly authoritarian and socialist, it is reasonable for libertarian capitalists to become more Republican.

For that to stop being true, the Democrats would need to become far less authoritarian and socialist than they are, but they seem to be headed in the other direction and are expected to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Hopefully they'll change course if they lose badly enough in the upcoming election.

[JesseAz]

Fascism controls all means of production, not small slices. You are wrong again. And again, since you lie about my arguments, I was against Trump using the DPA on GM. But you will continue to lie about what I said because again, you can't resist making strawman arguments.

[Ken Shultz]

We don't need to defend everything President Trump does, and we are far more persuasive when we acknowledge President Trump's flaws and explain to people why we support his reelection anyway.

President Trump isn't flawless. He's just a far better alternative to Joe Biden and the progressives. In fact, he's appealing specifically because he's such an important check on the excesses of the progressives, it's scary to think what the country would be like without him.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

But he's absolutely NOT a better option than Gary Johnson was. We'll see who the LP nominates this year, but I'll bet they'll be better on liberty than Trump.

The point is, if the Republican party is only 50% in agreement with liberty, then libertarians supporting their power is detrimental to our cause. We'd be better off taking it on the chin for a few election cycles if it means getting more liberty-minded people in power. Obama's election in 2008 sprouted the Tea Party, which until it was corrupted by social conservatives was the best thing that happened to the liberty movement in years.

If the Republicans are going to keep nominating a Geroge W Bush who abandons free market principles to save the free market and pushes for endless wars then they deserve to lose. If the Republicans are going to nominate a Donald Trump who has implemented tariffs, signed spending bills that lead to a more than $3T deficit this year, and is now controlling GM, then quite frankly they deserve to lose elections. If it's the only thing that will move them back towards economic liberty, then it will be worth it in the long run.

We're better off with a Democrat in office and an actual opposition Republican Party in Congress, then a Republican in office and a Republican Congress that rubber stamps all of their worst ideas.

[JesseAz]

That wasn't my argument at all Leo. Your dishonesty is rising again. My argument was that the left was begging Trump to take over business and industries to make supplies. T hat he had been very good about not doing so because they had been voluntarily making supplies without the force of government. The one issue I had was him forcing GM. I did make a point that I don't actually care about GM as they got into bed with the government under the 2009 bailouts, but that doesn't mean I supported the DPA's use on GM. You are lying as you always do because you can't have a rational argument.

[loveconstitution1789]

Plus, if the media did their job, they would find out that GM worked out a deal to be "forced" to build ventilators by the government so they could get up front capital that they could not secure because that company is so mismanaged.

The media is trying to act like this was the US Army standing by every factory line with rifles shooting workers who didnt build a ventilator. Even though that is every Lefty's wet dream of Communism.

[JesseAz]

Leo, do you have a reading comprehension issue, or do you just love strawman arguments as your primary form of argumentation?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I just want you to admit that Trump has no real free market principles. If he did he wouldn't have just strong-armed GM. You can tell someone's principles when there's a crisis. Trump's tendency is to be a bully, and when the "free market" doesn't cater to his whims, he uses the full force of the government to impose them.

The word fascism is a bit of tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, meant to rile you up. But anybody that argues that the DPA isn't fascist in nature is probably lying.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

President Trump has not ordered the extinction of the entire species of bats!

[Mother's lament]

President Trump has not ordered German units to cross the Polish border.

[n00bdragon]

Reason is for limited government right up until the government teet passes by its favorite constituencies. Cue "muh medical marijuana dispensaries are missing out on corona relief!" article in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... GO!

One might even believe that Reason doesn't stand for any kind of principles and is, like everyone else, just pandering to a demographic. It's not about doing what's right. It's about winning FREE STUFF for your team and taking stuff away from ENEMY TEAM.

[Ken Shultz]

For a whole generation of journalists, being a reporter is all about virtue signaling, and when virtue signaling, and when virtue signaling stops being the point, like a wind up toy, they just keep doing what they were designed to do.

This thing isn't about to start playing the guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_73NU6OlNuw

They haven't had one of these game changing stories in their careers yet, where everything stops being about what it was about before. It hasn't really happened since 9/11, and that was almost 20 years ago.

Gannett is furloughing its employees at more than 100 newspapers in the coming months. Network news and cable news were already imploding from the streaming revolution because consumers just don't need a wind up toy that bangs cymbals together anymore--and that was before the topic changed.

We had 3 million new unemployment claims in two weeks, and you think SBA loans for strippers is off topic? Yesterday, the problem was that gay men and bisexuals aren't allowed to donate blood. Virtue signaling is all they know. If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and it can't be used to virtue signal somehow, then whether it makes a sound doesn't really matter to journalists today. Hell, if the unemployment rate spikes up to 20% three months from now, they'll see it as a reason to vote against Trump--because women and minorities are adversely affected. It's all they do because it's all they know. It's all they understand. They can't stop doing it even as their whole business model implodes around their ears--and the American people's opinion of the continues to sink to new lows.

[loveconstitution1789]

Lefties always project. They have been projecting for over 3 years that trump is the problem.

Clearly Lefties are the problem, not Trump. More and more Americans see that and that gives unreason staff and the media in general a sad.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Or maybe it's about government picking winners and losers and thus distorting the free market.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

Right-wing terrorism on the rise in Australia

Police seized a number of electronic devices, tactical equipment and three paintball guns from his home, plus four registered firearms from a nearby property of one of his associates. They allege he was attempting to acquire military weapons and items capable of making improvised explosive devices – possibly to use in an attack against a local electrical substation.

Police also allege the accused, Joshua Lucas, is a far-right extremist. “What we know is this person had anti-government sentiment, he was anti-Semitic, he has neo-Nazi interests and he has anti-Indigenous interests,” NSW Police Force assistant commissioner Mark Walton said.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/law-crime/2020/03/21/right-wing-terrorism-the-rise-australia/15847092009572

[Don't look at me!]

“On the rise” means going from zero to one crazy guy.

[Sevo]

Numbers confuse turd.

[EISTAU Gree-Vance]

Haha. There is a lengthy post on virtue signaling upthread.

Thanks for letting us know what you stand against! Give yourself a pat on the back!

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Have I mentioned how much I hate Glenn Greenwald?

Even given my extremely low view of Democratic Party operatives and their loyal media mouthpieces, the way they've invoked every defense used by the Right to defend Brett Kavanaugh in order to smear & malign Joe Biden's accuser has shocked me. I thought they'd be more subtle

Here he is promoting the right-wing myth that Democrats only #BelieveWomen when it's politically convenient. Um, helloooooooo? Maybe it's because the accusations against Kavanaugh were much more credible than the one against Biden?

#LibertariansForBiden

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

You forgot:
#TrumpProvesRapeIsOKay

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

Dumbya handout = $300 per person
Dotard handout = $1200 per person
Obama handout = nothing

#TheDotardLovesHandouts

[JesseAz]

Obama handout to political connected companies like Solyndra = Billions.

Oh, and it included tax rebates dummy. You know so little, why?

"Obama's tax rebates were supposed to encourage consumer spending, but many experts doubted it. Why? The rebates showed up as lower tax withholding. Unlike the Bush tax cuts, workers did not receive checks. As a result, most people weren't aware they got a tax rebate."

https://www.thebalance.com/what-was-obama-s-stimulus-package-3305625

[JesseAz]

In 2009, the Economic Stimulus Act sent out $14.2 billion in stimulus checks.

https://www.thebalance.com/stimulus-checks-3305750

[NittanyCougar]

Your posts make it so much easier to navigate thru the comment section. Thanks!

[loveconstitution1789]

Poor unreason. Barely could get to 102 comments by 10:41 am without the help of SPB and OBL.

[Don't look at me!]

And that’s with everyone at home...

[loveconstitution1789]

+10000

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Don't sell yourself short. You've increased the number of comments tremendously. You should add your name to that list.

[loveconstitution1789]

We all know that unreason sends in the sock trolls to boost web traffic.

Elizabeth "sandwich maker" NB, said it's all about the web traffic.

[loveconstitution1789]

Besides, if I didn't comment and post some links to real news, unreason would lose even more live commenters and this rag would be back to sock trolls fighting with you over which one of you have the best codename for Anarchy-Land.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

codename for Anarchy-Land

Now, that, is a good name for a band...

[Leo Kovalensky II]

At 4:33 PM, a simple ctrl+F search finds the following number of posts by user:

LC1789 - 42
DOL - 25
SPB - 9
OBL - 1

Who is the troll?

[Mother's lament]

Pretty sure that the gross number of posts don't make anyone a troll. It just means that they're participating in a conversation.

Nice false cause fallacy attempt though, you found a pattern to fit a presumption. That's called the texas sharpshooter, isn't it?
Wow, you progs are just so amazingly dishonest.

[Idle Hands]

What's going to happen when they lift the bans and people find out that the virus is still killing people? I genuinely am under the impression from social media that many people are for these bans because they are under the impression that if we just shelter in place for a month we are going to "starve" the virus out and it will cease to exist. What happens when they realize that wasn't the goal of this at all? This hysteria is midevil.

[loveconstitution1789]

There are stupid people out there.

When another customer and I were laughing at the hysteria some people are causing on themselves, the cashier tried to butt in "that the media blah blah blah". I cut her off and explained how she could look at the basic Wuhanvirus information herself and how the media are liars. The cashier continued to mumble and check out our items while I stood too close for her comfort. Me and the other customer laughed our asses off.

[De Oppresso Liber]

If she doesn't want you standing that close to her, then don't. You creepy fucking asshole.

[De Oppresso Liber]

I don't want to hear another word about Creepy Joe from you.

[loveconstitution1789]

Poor sock troll. Trying to let loser Joe Biden off the hook for unwanted touching as if its the same thing as standing in public without touching people.

Words are weapons and so is public standing.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Forget Joe. Just stop being a creepy asshole man.

I don't care if her fear is irrational or not (to you), you have no right to invade someone's personal space, and you should feel bad for purposely making a poor cashier who has to be in that situation to make her living feel fear. Common courtesy, motherfucker.

And if you want to bitch about government mandates, at least don't be one of the assholes that makes people beg for government mandates.

Do you force someone with arachnophobia to pet your pet tarantula too?

[R Mac]

“Forget Joe”

You say this in response to his response about your post about...Joe Biden!

Your dishonesty is really amazing.

[De Oppresso Liber]

My post is about LC being a creepy jerk. Wanting me to be your ultimate boogeyman is probably hurting you in the reading comprehension department.

[R Mac]

You tried to compare his behavior to Joe’s. He pointed out it was very different. So you said to forget Joe.

You’re not my ultimate boogeyman, you just lie a lot.

Want me to stop calling you a liar? Stop lying so much.

[Mother's lament]

My post is about LC being a creepy jerk"

He looks like a paragon of tempered virtue compared to your insane, hate-filled ass.

[De Oppresso Liber]

Well you're probably an asshole too.

[darkflame]

watch China and find out, cause it's looking like that's what happened. China tried to start up the economy and now they're closing everything again... even though they aren't admitting there's new infected. The numbers aren't saying the same story as their actions.

[loveconstitution1789]

Russia sends plane with medical supplies to U.S. for coronavirus response

This is a weird story.

The Russian government first announced that the plane, an An-124 Ruslan cargo aircraft filled with equipment to help America battle the pandemic, was en route early today.
[...]
"Likewise, the United States is sending equipment and supplies to many other countries and will continue to do more as we are able," the official said.

No details on whether we are sending out equipment that we need here in the USA, just to be resupplied with Russian equipment that they might need soon.

[loveconstitution1789]

Anything to prop up that oil market.

[darkflame]

I mean, if it helps lower some tension and builds good will between countries, I don't really mind that much. But you're right, it is a little curious everyone's doing a little dance instead of sitting on the supplies they have and need

[loveconstitution1789]

Goodwill, is good.

It's weird though. PLus, there was no hysterical TDS media connection between Trump and Putin in that article. Maybe that will come later.

[darkflame]

they just haven't caught wind of it yet.

[The Constitutionalist]

Pompous Pompeo actually mentioned Iran as one of the countries that he called on to be transparent in their numbers. I'm pretty sure that Iran pretty much laughed heartily at that one. If I were Iran, I would cook my numbers so much they would make the Chinese numbers look legit. I cannot we will keep sanctions on Iran during this time. Who is the terrorist country? I seem to keep forgetting.

[loveconstitution1789]

Whole Foods workers hold ‘sick-out’ to demand hazard pay during pandemic

Fucking Commies always try to take advantage of turmoil.

Commies get union protections, laws that freeze wages, and set prices then strike to get more money when people cannot say no.

But buy a bunch of M95 medical masks before the hysteria starts to resell at higher prices... states will send in SWAT teams to take your property.

[Ken Shultz]

Over the coming months, they may start thinking they're lucky to have a job at all.

"The coronavirus economic freeze could cost 47 million jobs and send the unemployment rate past 32%, according to St. Louis Fed projections."

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-job-losses-could-total-47-million-unemployment-rate-of-32percent-fed-says.html

No way to know how bad things will get until we know when we're likely to turn the corner, but the question isn't about whether things are about to get really bad. The question is about how really bad things are about to get.

[Dillinger]

wow obscure cite. how many people knew there *was* a STL Fed before yesterday?

[Ken Shultz]

Not obscure, rather, it's fairly authoritative.

The Federal Bank of St. Louis has been the center of the Fed's economic research universe for a long, long time, and their research is among the most widely influential on Wall Street and in board rooms all over the country, as well as in academia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Economic_Data

All predictions are tentative and subject to revision as new data becomes available. Meanwhile, if they're off by 50%, unemployment skyrocketing to 16% from where it was two months ago would be dramatic, and, again, we're still talking about how really bad things are about to get rather than whether they're about to get really bad.

[Dillinger]

shut my mouth.

[Dillinger]

and I wasn't saying you were citing obscurity I saw the story yesterday and thought STL Fed reference was obscure. I see I was wrong

[Rufus The Monocled]

I did.

[JFree]

Only if we rely on the Federal Reserve, banking, and Wall St money system to 'solve' the unemployment problem.

They've only been able to blow asset bubbles for going on 30 years now. That's all they know. That's all they can do. But that is both a)useless in fighting coronavirus and b)passed its sell-by date well over a decade ago

[The Constitutionalist]

I am sure "poor boy" Bezos can't afford to pay much better. You know, it's tough being a billionaire. I never buy anything from anything Bezos owns. Screw Bezos.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Another tragedy, vital transgender surgeries have been postponed or canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

[lap83]

the headline is worse than what you wrote...."life-saving trans surgeries"

on the contrary, maybe they'll be less likely to commit suicide without irreversible mutilation?

[Ken Shultz]

Why can't we get our priorities straight?

No pun intended.

[Rufus The Monocled]

How long will he be in the gurney on the bed sitting like that?

[Rufus The Monocled]

Pic of Kaye:

https://twitter.com/timewharp/status/1234885608360873984

[Dillinger]

>>Abortion will now be discontinued in Texas.

bueno. Dios bendiga a Tejas.

[The Constitutionalist]

Wow, that's the end of the world. We just have to keep killing babies. Can't let sex actually have consequences.

America best not pray to God because the prayers won't rise much above our collective heads. Government is now our god. Good luck with that.

[Mother's lament]

The best news I've heard in years.

[JFree]

You now literally will have a company call you up and say, 'Well, California just outbid you,'" said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a press conference yesterday. "It's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator."

Stupid people will stupid. Congrats NY. You've been forcing everyone else on the planet to price-compete paying higher prices using real resources while your core industry simply creates that same money out of thin air. And now all of a sudden you don't like that game much.

Well fuck you if you can't see the solution is right in front of you. Stop pretending that money=ventilators. Mobilize the resources that you do have - if you don't like the word 'militia' call it reserves or something - and start making the damn ventilators locally yourself.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm imagining New York trying to get back into the manufacturing game...

[Case of the Mondays]

No our priorities are not sex workers. They do not need the cash as their stupid customers will just watch them on web cams like the Rev does every day.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

stupid customers will just watch them on web cams like the Rev does every day.

What am I, chopped liver?

[loveconstitution1789]

I decided to mail a few masks to Blue state Governor's offices with the words TYRANNY written on them. I used to send straws but decided to update the message.

I also sent message to the Governor's offices via their website about how they are tyrants violating the constitutional rights of Americans in their state.

The New Jersey Governor website rejected the message because it was sent in Firefox. HAHAHA. OMG, what decade is that state being run from?

[The Constitutionalist]

Most DoD agencies still use Internet Explorer. I kid you not. And here I thought only little old ladies who didn't have a clue about browsers were the only ones who use it!

[The Constitutionalist]

I love the straws and masks. That's great, especially if we could get dozens to do this. They would go crazy trying to recycle the straws. LOL Probably wouldn't have any time left for more tyrannical laws because, you know, the earth can't stand more plastic straws. Ha Ha!

[Number 2]

For the record, my Apple news feed still has absolutely nothing about Tara Reade and her allegations against Joe Biden.

But there are multiple new stories about the Tiger King. And a link to a Huffington post story telling us the earth-shattering news that people on Twitter are saying nasty things about Donald Trump.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Don't believe some inconvenient women.

[Mickey Rat]

"Whorephobia", seriously? Can we please stop describing positions we do not like as "phobic"? It is just a lazy ad hominem attack.

[The Constitutionalist]

Every time I start to really like Reason, they come up with a truly crackpot story like this. This is why libertarians will never get anywhere. Just when you think they are logical, they jump off the cliff on some silly nonsense like this. Apparently, the porn industry is hurting? Cry me a river. I suppose that is bad for America per Reason?

[MargaretRHartman]

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[Hank Phillips]

According to Applied Eugenics, by Paul Popenoe, American Genetic Association, The Macmillan Company, 1919, most sex workers are mentally defective. They should be placed in charge of FATF asset-forfeiture policy levelled at gunpoint at the banking system as a harm-reduction measure (after cutting off funding to FATF and WHO wonks and firing their asses).

[amnaughty]

Every time I start to really like Reason, they come up with a truly crackpot story like this. This is why libertarians will never get anywhere. Just when you think they are logical, they jump off the cliff on some silly nonsense like this.
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