[2006alum]

Well, one problem with federalism is that it leads to competition between states - and against the federal government:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Jordanfabian/status/1240745976522051589?s=20[/tweet]

Uhm...:

President Donald Trump’s directive for governors to buy their own medical supplies to fight the coronavirus has run into a big problem -- the federal government.


Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told Trump during a video conference on Thursday that his state three times lost out to the federal government on purchases of critical supplies, creating an awkward moment during the made-for-TV event at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington.


“I’ve got a feeling that if someone has the chance to sell to you and to sell to me, I am going to lose on every one of those,” a sheepish-sounding Baker told Trump, who chuckled at the remark.


The president replied he still wants governors to seek out their own medical equipment, like protective gear for doctors and nurses as well as respirators, but acknowledged the federal government has greater buying power than any state.


“Prices are always a component of that also. And maybe that’s why you lost to the feds, OK, that’s probably why,” Trump said.

[2006alum]

Well, one problem with federalism is that it leads to competition between states - and against the federal government:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Jordanfabian/status/1240745976522051589?s=20[/tweet]

Uhm...:

President Donald Trump’s directive for governors to buy their own medical supplies to fight the coronavirus has run into a big problem -- the federal government.


Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told Trump during a video conference on Thursday that his state three times lost out to the federal government on purchases of critical supplies, creating an awkward moment during the made-for-TV event at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington.


“I’ve got a feeling that if someone has the chance to sell to you and to sell to me, I am going to lose on every one of those,” a sheepish-sounding Baker told Trump, who chuckled at the remark.


The president replied he still wants governors to seek out their own medical equipment, like protective gear for doctors and nurses as well as respirators, but acknowledged the federal government has greater buying power than any state.


“Prices are always a component of that also. And maybe that’s why you lost to the feds, OK, that’s probably why,” Trump said.

[stupac2]

But I'm sure it's all just flushed down the toilet by the idiots in Sacramento, just like everyone everywhere thinks their tax money is wasted until you start trying to find things to cut.

I understand your point, but it seems that the cost of many desirable things provided by the State is much higher than similar things provided by private industry or by other States. CalTrans is always the poster child for this argument, but there are many others. What often happens is that the political argument is framed as "Should we do X or should we not do X?", rather than "How do we do X at a reasonable cost?". The situation is that in California one party has a majority and can do pretty much what they want. This majority seems incapable of finding a way to increase the "bang for the buck", which we desperately need to do. Washington DC has gridlock, which is bad. Sacramento doesn't have that excuse.

Right but that's a US-wide problem. The question of why US public works projects are so much more expensive than anywhere else is much-studied and as far as I know has no straightforward answer.

I just get irritated that whenever this comes up the attitude seems to be "things are perfect therefore ***** everything!" and it's ridiculous.


Re: prop 13, the housing might be more expensive but it turns over much more slowly. Per this chart we're 17th in the country. There's no way to sort, but per this page CA's total state/local collection per capita isn't all that high (although it's nearly a decade out of date...)

So, I dunno, seems about right to me.

[stupac2]

But I'm sure it's all just flushed down the toilet by the idiots in Sacramento, just like everyone everywhere thinks their tax money is wasted until you start trying to find things to cut.

I understand your point, but it seems that the cost of many desirable things provided by the State is much higher than similar things provided by private industry or by other States. CalTrans is always the poster child for this argument, but there are many others. What often happens is that the political argument is framed as "Should we do X or should we not do X?", rather than "How do we do X at a reasonable cost?". The situation is that in California one party has a majority and can do pretty much what they want. This majority seems incapable of finding a way to increase the "bang for the buck", which we desperately need to do. Washington DC has gridlock, which is bad. Sacramento doesn't have that excuse.

Right but that's a US-wide problem. The question of why US public works projects are so much more expensive than anywhere else is much-studied and as far as I know has no straightforward answer.

I just get irritated that whenever this comes up the attitude seems to be "things are perfect therefore ***** everything!" and it's ridiculous.


Re: prop 13, the housing might be more expensive but it turns over much more slowly. Per this chart we're 17th in the country. There's no way to sort, but per this page CA's total state/local collection per capita isn't all that high (although it's nearly a decade out of date...)

So, I dunno, seems about right to me.

[BostonCard]

If only the federal government had run a simulation (cardcrimson, you’d like the name of it).

https://apple.news/AdyXE4UAKRI2XsspjGEcQ9A

BC

[BostonCard]

If only the federal government had run a simulation (cardcrimson, you’d like the name of it).

https://apple.news/AdyXE4UAKRI2XsspjGEcQ9A

BC

[cardcrimson]

If only the federal government had run a simulation (cardcrimson, you’d like the name of it).

https://apple.news/AdyXE4UAKRI2XsspjGEcQ9A

BC

Subscription. . . .please tell me the name, the suspense is killing me quicker than the coronavirus.

[cardcrimson]

If only the federal government had run a simulation (cardcrimson, you’d like the name of it).

https://apple.news/AdyXE4UAKRI2XsspjGEcQ9A

BC

Subscription. . . .please tell me the name, the suspense is killing me quicker than the coronavirus.

[BostonCard]

“Crimson contagion”.

Sorry for posting a paywalled article.  I thought the N.Y. Times was making its coronavirus coverage free.

BC

[BostonCard]

“Crimson contagion”.

Sorry for posting a paywalled article.  I thought the N.Y. Times was making its coronavirus coverage free.

BC

[cardcrimson]

“Crimson contagion”.

Sorry for posting a paywalled article.  I thought the N.Y. Times was making its coronavirus coverage free.

BC

Always finding a way to blame Hahvahd. The Times article appears to be free, just have to sign up. . . .not quite willing to go there, even with my junk mail account. -- Stay healthy!

[cardcrimson]

“Crimson contagion”.

Sorry for posting a paywalled article.  I thought the N.Y. Times was making its coronavirus coverage free.

BC

Always finding a way to blame Hahvahd. The Times article appears to be free, just have to sign up. . . .not quite willing to go there, even with my junk mail account. -- Stay healthy!

[BostonCard]

Oh, I thought it was a play on “crimson tide”.

BC

[BostonCard]

Oh, I thought it was a play on “crimson tide”.

BC

[cardcrimson]

Oh, I thought it was a play on “crimson tide”.

BC

Nah, my alma maters. Though there is a family connection to the Tide. A deep one.

[cardcrimson]

Oh, I thought it was a play on “crimson tide”.

BC

Nah, my alma maters. Though there is a family connection to the Tide. A deep one.

[2006alum]

Why am I not surprised?:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bylenasun/status/1241158970372501505?s=20[/tweet]

U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.

The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.

Taken together, the reports and warnings painted an early picture of a virus that showed the characteristics of a globe-encircling pandemic that could require governments to take swift actions to contain it. But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month, as officials scrambled to keep citizens in their homes and hospitals braced for a surge in patients suffering from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Intelligence agencies “have been warning on this since January,” said a U.S. official who had access to intelligence reporting that was disseminated to members of Congress and their staffs as well as to officials in the Trump administration, and who, along with others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information. . . .

The warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies increased in volume toward the end of January and into early February, said officials familiar with the reports. By then, a majority of the intelligence reporting included in daily briefing papers and digests from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA was about covid-19, said officials who have read the reports.


The surge in warnings coincided with a move by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) to sell dozens of stocks worth between $628,033 and $1.72 million. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Burr was privy to virtually all of the highly classified reporting on the coronavirus. Burr issued a statement Friday defending his sell-off, saying he sold based entirely on publicly available information, and he called for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate.

Great. Play down the threat and blunt the possibility of a coordinated federal response while they're busy looking after their own stock portfolios.

[2006alum]

Why am I not surprised?:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bylenasun/status/1241158970372501505?s=20[/tweet]

U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.

The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.

Taken together, the reports and warnings painted an early picture of a virus that showed the characteristics of a globe-encircling pandemic that could require governments to take swift actions to contain it. But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month, as officials scrambled to keep citizens in their homes and hospitals braced for a surge in patients suffering from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Intelligence agencies “have been warning on this since January,” said a U.S. official who had access to intelligence reporting that was disseminated to members of Congress and their staffs as well as to officials in the Trump administration, and who, along with others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information. . . .

The warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies increased in volume toward the end of January and into early February, said officials familiar with the reports. By then, a majority of the intelligence reporting included in daily briefing papers and digests from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA was about covid-19, said officials who have read the reports.


The surge in warnings coincided with a move by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) to sell dozens of stocks worth between $628,033 and $1.72 million. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Burr was privy to virtually all of the highly classified reporting on the coronavirus. Burr issued a statement Friday defending his sell-off, saying he sold based entirely on publicly available information, and he called for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate.

Great. Play down the threat and blunt the possibility of a coordinated federal response while they're busy looking after their own stock portfolios.