Coronavirus
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/senator-fire-early-coronavirus-warning-donors-200319210633822.html. They are just a bunch of criminals and peoples have elected them as their so-called representative, in reality, they represent the rich peoples and their campaign donors
As has been said before it’s just a pity that a crisis like this doesn’t induce more socialist-minded thinking in people, beyond the creation of self-help groups and suchlike, commendable though these may be. Yes, there are far more people being co-operative and helpful than there are cynically taking advantage of the situation, but if a worldwide crisis like this, causing so much misery and financial hardship, doesn’t switch on the light showing that capitalism and its money-based constraints should be dead and buried, I don’t know what will.
Capitalists have done a wonderful job in the minds of the workers. Warren Buffet said: There is a class war and my class is winning that war
I think that is a bit harsh in expecting this crisis to ‘switch on the light’ in the world’s working class in bringing about world socialism. It took me several years to come across a ‘true’ socialist alternative to capitalism after flirting with reformism of various kinds. Hopefully, workers who have heard of our case may be more likely now to put forward our ideas to fellow workers.
I have been heartened by some things I’ve heard. A friend who for decades I’d put forward our case to rang to tell me he’d said to his girlfriend that I may have been right all along. I’ve also heard criticism of those who’ve put ‘money’ before people. I was walking locally when I overheard a builder, working on a local house, say on the phone..’what do you think of Cheltenham horse races going ahead..’ and other person replied..’ it’s all about the money.. ‘ to which he replied..’ yeah! it’s always about the money..’. A small thing yet it shows worker’s are aware of capitalism’s priorities.
The Medical Services in the USA are so mediocre that in several hospitals the medical workers have been infected with the Coronavirus because they were using leaky respirators. Most of the agencies dedicated to providing financing for the health of the peoples have been eliminated or bankrupted to use the funds to construct the so-called Mexican walls, and workers have shot themselves in the foot by supporting those measures to support nationalism and xenophobia
Some of us may be forgiven for a touch of schadenfreude when we read that Rand Paul was the first US senator to contract coronavirus.
He voted against a House-passed bill last week that provided more than $100bn to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers. He also was the only Republican senator who opposed an earlier bill authorizing $8.3bn for initial response to the coronavirus.
The only regret is that he was a symptomless carrier of the virus
“If the biggest and most powerful countries are struggling, how is Gaza supposed to cope?” says Ayman al-Halabi, a doctor at the laboratories run by Gaza’s health ministry
Gaza already has its first-person infested with Coronavirus, it is to go be a very difficult situation for the Palestinians
Diehard supporters of capitalism are beginning to fight back against the government’s apparent decision to put people or at least the health service before the health of the capitalist economy.
Sparked off by an article in Saturday’s Times by Matthew Paris entitled “Crashing the economy will also cost lives”, a debate is raging on “crashing the economy versus sacrificing lives” with some actually arguing that minimising deaths today should not be the objective.
It is true that crashing the capitalist economy, ie provoking a slump, will also cost lives, as always does happen in a slump through increased ill health and suicides of those who lose their jobs and so their previous level of income.
So that’s all capitalism has to offer: less deaths today and more tomorrow or more deaths today and less deaths tomorrow. We can let the sick supporters of this sick system argue which of these is the lesser evil.
The very fact that this is the choice under capitalism is itself an indictment of the profit-driven system. And another good reason why it has to go.
In socialism if a pandemic breaks out ( as it might) this wouldn’t be the choice as minimising deaths today could be the objective without endangering future production as this would be directly for use and not for sale and profit as now under capitalism. Some adjustments would have to be made but nobody would need to be denied access to what they needed to live and enjoy life as the direct link between taking part in production and what you get will have been broken.
The members of the Congress of the USA they only want to save capitalism first and to let peoples die, for them the economic system is more important than human beings, it is very clear, and we do not need binoculars to see that capitalism only exists to satisfy the needs of a small group of peoples, at this moment whoever does no see that, it is completely blind
It would appear that most governments round the world are genuinely trying to save lives now and acting on the best possible medical and scientific advice. Though somehow in the next few weeks and months I expect a fair number of reports about how more could have been done, too little too late, all sorts of cover-ups, etc.
As regards the NHS, of course, the irony is that it wouldn’t be in quite as much of a mess if it hadn’t been starved of cash and resources over the decades by Labour and Tory alike on behalf of the capitalist class. The same is no doubt true of most countries.
And no doubt the government has an eye to the future and will make political capital later out of what it’s doing if it can be seen to be in any way successful.
Is this a sign that the consensus you allude to, is about to finish?
His own real estate and hotels business are going into bankruptcy, and the last stimulus package was rejected by the Democrats because it was in order to rescue his family business and his friends, and allow the Treasurers department to give loans and money to their own discretion without making any disclosure for six months
It seems that Trump is veering away from the policy of putting the health of the people even if only temporarily ahead of the health of the capitalist economy towards frankly putting the health of the economy first. From today’s Times:
“President Trump has declared the response to coronavirus must not be worse than the pandemic itself as he hinted he would lift social distancing rules in an attempt to salvage the economy.
More than a week after he banned almost all travel from Europe and with many states imposing severe restrictions on their residents, Mr Trump signalled a sudden change of tack in a tweet late on Sunday night.
Shortly before midnight, writing in block capital letters, he said: “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go!”
(…)
The White House’s medical advisers have suggested that the restrictions will have to be extended for much longer, but the president appears amenable to a rival camp who believe that the economy should be prioritised and some people allowed to go back to work.”We will see if he dares. After all, people have votes and this is an election year.
We were impressed by China building a hospital in two weeks.
Ineos, the chemicals company, is planning to build two hand sanitiser factories in just 10 days.
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