2020 US Trade Deficit Soared to $679 billion, the worst since 2008

98cwitr said:

Can't have free markets when government shuts you down.

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Yeah. The government REALLY mishandled the pandemic hey?

rambot said:

Yeah. The government REALLY mishandled the pandemic hey?

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Many state governments did, yes. Mine included.

98cwitr said:

Many state governments did, yes. Mine included.

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oh that's right. No President or his administration should EVER be held responsible for this right?

I mean sure there is plenty of evidence that disaster of the an administration bungled aspects of it all hte time. But that doesn't mean competence could have made things work better.

rambot said:

oh that's right. No President or his administration should EVER be held responsible for this right?

I mean sure there is plenty of evidence that disaster of the an administration bungled aspects of it all hte time. But that doesn't mean competence could have made things work better.

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Blame Trump all you want, but it was governors that sent infected people into nursing homes, shut down businesses, sent millions into unemployment (1M in my state alone), and then attempted to act as our knights in armor and told us we needed them to save us. Spare me.

I rue the day anyone ever believed it was somehow the duty or obligation for any politician to be in any control of our healthcare. Time and time again they prove they're not doctors, nor do their actions really suggest they care about the health and well being of American citizens beyond our ability to pay taxes and vote.

98cwitr said:

Blame Trump all you want, but it was governors that sent infected people into nursing homes, shut down businesses, sent millions into unemployment (1M in my state alone), and then attempted to act as our knights in armor and told us we needed them to save us. Spare me.

I rue the day anyone ever believed it was somehow the duty or obligation for any politician to be in any control of our healthcare. Time and time again they prove they're not doctors, nor do their actions really suggest they care about the health and well being of American citizens beyond our ability to pay taxes and vote.

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I love that you "rue" the day of a policy decision, but you don't rue the day that 4000 Americans died because of terrible pandemic leadership. Or frankly any of the days that thousands of Americans die.
Because there have been plenty of those days to rue.
Also, it's sad that the day that you appear to "rue" is the exact reason why other countries are open and successfully managing their spread.

Do you rue the day American doctors suggest certain guidelines would help manage the spread of covid?

rambot said:

I love that you "rue" the day of a policy decision, but you don't rue the day that 4000 Americans died because of terrible pandemic leadership. Or frankly any of the days that thousands of Americans die.

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Had nothing to do with "pandemic leadership." Illness occurs. Thousands died from flu each year but because the government and media didn't label it as a "pandemic" then we just consider it as a day that ends in 'y'. This rhetoric is nothing short of virtue signaling.

Also, it's sad that the day that you appear to "rue" is the exact reason why other countries are open and successfully managing their spread.

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Sweden never shutdown. Shall we condemn their choice?

Do you rue the day American doctors suggest certain guidelines would help manage the spread of covid?

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Depends what those guidelines are and if their extremity is in line with the actual empirical data. Doesn't really even matter at this point because the majority of the damage (ie: government responses which had disastrous consequences) is already done. Governors' decisions literally killed people and yet they're being praised by the media. And now that the red tide of disease and poverty has washed over America, we now look at the trade deficit and blame the federal government?

civilwarbuff said:

Hmmmm.....well, if Americans would quit buying Chinese junk and buy more American junk (even if more expensive since our cost of living is substantially higher) that curve could start to reverse itself....

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Are you trying to put Walmart out of business?

civilwarbuff said:

Hmmmm.....well, if Americans would quit buying Chinese junk and buy more American junk (even if more expensive since our cost of living is substantially higher) that curve could start to reverse itself....

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Agreed. Even in my local army surplus store all they sell is Chinese made t-shirts. Hard pass.

America largely isn't producing junk to buy. America has largely sold off the factories and is no longer much of a producer of anything. Sure there is some stuff "made in America" but even then, oftentimes it's just assembled in America and the parts are produced elsewhere.

So that "made in America" boat has pretty much left the dock.

98cwitr said:

Had nothing to do with "pandemic leadership." Illness occurs. Thousands died from flu each year but because the government and media didn't label it as a "pandemic" then we just consider it as a day that ends in 'y'. This rhetoric is nothing short of virtue signaling.

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None of that is true. In the US flu causes about 800k hospitalizations and 60k deaths. COVID is 10x worse. Also, flu is epidemic, not pandemic .

Sweden never shutdown. Shall we condemn their choice?

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Given how badly they fared compared to Denmark and Norway, yes we should.

I do wonder how the right wing Christians would react if COVID killed people in uteruses.

rambot said:

I love that you "rue" the day of a policy decision, but you don't rue the day that 4000 Americans died because of terrible pandemic leadership. Or frankly any of the days that thousands of Americans die.
Because there have been plenty of those days to rue.
Also, it's sad that the day that you appear to "rue" is the exact reason why other countries are open and successfully managing their spread.

Do you rue the day American doctors suggest certain guidelines would help manage the spread of covid?

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And how was Trump.supposed to force those governors to do anything?

In fact in the states that suffered the most they had mask mandates, economic shutdowns etc. And still suffered loses. All the things that we were supposed to do.

We've been complaining about the trade deficits for years now. And we've been told for years it's no big deal. So now it is?

By the way, it's still a big deal imo. I do think COVID played a part of last year particularly.

Tanj said:

None of that is true. In the US flu causes about 800k hospitalizations and 60k deaths. COVID is 10x worse. Also, flu is epidemic, not pandemic .

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What's the number of deaths that justify lockdowns and mask mandates. Pick a number. 60k isn't enough?

I think it within reason to remove any death that was caused in a nursing home where the governor of that state sent sick patients into those same homes. That's just criminal negligence, rather than natural spread.

Given how badly they fared compared to Denmark and Norway, yes we should.

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Yet their rate of infection per capita mimicked the US. I think this demonstrates that lockdowns show to be ineffective.

I do wonder how the right wing Christians would react if COVID killed people in uteruses.

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Look up Sara Beltrán Ponce

98cwitr said:

What's the number of deaths that justify lockdowns and mask mandates. Pick a number. 60k isn't enough?

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Its not just deaths, it's also the frighteningly high and extended hospitalisation, as well as unknown mid to long term effects.

I think it within reason to remove any death that was caused in a nursing home where the governor of that state sent sick patients into those same homes. That's just criminal negligence, rather than natural spread.

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I think that is one of the least reasonable things I have read on this board, including the entirety of the conspiracy theory section.

Would you be this blase if the people lived in uteruses instead of nursing homes?

98cwitr said:

I rue the day anyone ever believed it was somehow the duty or obligation for any politician to be in any control of our healthcare. Time and time again they prove they're not doctors, (...)

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rambot said:

(...)
Do you rue the day American doctors suggest certain guidelines would help manage the spread of covid?

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98cwitr said:

Depends what those guidelines are and if their extremity is in line with the actual empirical data. Doesn't really even matter at this point because the majority of the damage (ie: government responses which had disastrous consequences) is already done. Governors' decisions literally killed people and yet they're being praised by the media. And now that the red tide of disease and poverty has washed over America, we now look at the trade deficit and blame the federal government?

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Ah, are you a doctor? Virologist, infectiologist ? Blaming politicians for taking decisions you expect them to leave to doctors, and in the next post saying you don't accept doctors' guidelines, unless they are in line with what you think. And you seem to have your own opinion about it.

Velaut said:

Ah, are you a doctor? Virologist, infectiologist ? Blaming politicians for taking decisions you expect them to leave to doctors, and in the next post saying you don't accept doctors' guidelines, unless they are in line with what you think. And you seem to have your own opinion about it.

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Yes, I can hold politicians accountable (we all should) for two reasons: They are to represent us, several decisions have killed people (ie: sending covid patients into nursing homes).

civilwarbuff said:

Hmmmm.....well, if Americans would quit buying Chinese junk and buy more American junk (even if more expensive since our cost of living is substantially higher) that curve could start to reverse itself....

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This is a dream.

People dont voluntarily spend more money on the same thing, (except for the maybe 5% who are altruistically motivated toward some cause like the environment or the "good of the country".)

*not accounting for people who fall for branding and other marketing gimmicks - where the gullible buyer thinks a product is better when its really not. (Polishes the glass on my Trump University diploma display).

rjs330 said:

And how was Trump.supposed to force those governors to do anything?

In fact in the states that suffered the most they had mask mandates, economic shutdowns etc. And still suffered loses. All the things that we were supposed to do.

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Experts praise Biden's Covid-19 plan, but warn that undoing Trump-era mistakes will take time

Trump made mistakes; whether you choose to see that or not is irrelevant since experts who know what they are talking about, indicate that he did so. Trump was not supposed to force them to do anything.