Wednesday, April 15, 2020

What A Difference A Border Makes.


GroverNorquistShouldNeverEverBeListenedToByAnyoneEver
AgainVille


The state of Michigan has a population of just under 10 million compared to Canada's 37.5 million.

Unfortunately, despite having less than one-third the number of peopleMichigan now has approximately the same number of reported COVID-19 cases as Canada (~28,000).

Even more unfortunately, Michigan has almost twice the number of reported COVID-19 deaths as Canada (1,921 vs 1,010).

As a result, and not surprisingly, the governor of Michigan, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, has not yet lifted stringent statewide lockdown orders.

And how have Michigan Republicans responded?

Well....




Which just goes to show...

Both sides most definitely don't.



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So, where is this stuff coming from?....Well, would it surprise you to know that 'Lock Her Up!' was the chant of non-socially distanced protesters on the steps of the Michigan state house earlier today?


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8 comments:

Keith said...

If the experience in Flint didn’t get their attention, what will.? Ironically, what a difference a border makes.? If some of these protestors should come down with the virus, it maybe someone from Canada saving their life.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/coronavirus-us-canada-border-detroit-windsor-nurses/2020/04/13/57e70c14-79c7-11ea-a311-adb1344719a9_story.html

Lew said...

Gretchen Whitmer? I thought the Michigan govenor’s name was “That Woman”.

e.a.f. said...

Saw a head line that trump is thinking of opening the border to Canada again. The head line included it might not be up to him. As far as I'm concerned given the lack of decent health care and the lack of testing, etc. in the U.S.A. the border ought to be kept shut. Essential traffic only as we currently have.

The Rachel Maddox show this evening was interviewing an obstetrician from N.Y. they started testing women coming in to give birth. 17% of them had the virus and no symptoms. Had no idea they had the virus. they are going to be extending the screening to other obstetric wards in the city. if this is representative of the whole population of N.Y. they suggested almost a million N.Yers. have the disease and don't know it. How fun is that.

One ought not to be surprised about Michigan or any other state which has these types of protests. One, they voted for trump. Two, regardless of how many children are shot to death in mass shootings the various levels of government have refused to make any changes to gun laws to try to stop it. You can't fix stupid.

Anonymous said...

"The sad irony of the protest is that they don't like to be in this stay-at-home order, but they might have just created a need to lengthen it."

https://www.theweek.com/speedreads/909124/about-22-million-americans-have-filed-unemployment-claims-past-month

RossK said...

Thanks Keith--

Of course, it could just as easily be the other way around, say, between Alberta and Montana depending how things go.

The real problem here is the Republicans, their backers and, worst, their media enablers, politicizing a public health action in such a way as to destroy public order and trust.

And I think we would be deluding ourselves if we concluded that the same type of thing couldn't happen north of the border in the coming weeks.

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Lew--

Of course that is precisely how said enablers would like a certain segment of the population to think of (a dehumanized) her.

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e.a.f.--

To extend that thought in a boomerang trumpian pretzel-logic kind of way....How long before DT Jr starts to take credit for March having the lowest number of school shooting in recent American history?

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Oh boy Anon-Above--

Thanks.

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Keith said...

Point taken Ross,

I find it mind boggling the high numbers of the population despite previous examples of republican indifference at best to the well being of the folks that voted for them, they still allow themselves to be manipulated so easily to act against their own financial, health and societal best interests.

Chuckstraight said...

Watching video of these people tends to think there isn`t much hope for the future of our society. There is definitely a point of stupidity that can not be fixed.
Despite the lack of healthcare, that remote piece of land is starting to look good.

RossK said...

Keith--

Getting folks to vote (and act) against their own best interest has been the o(i)ligarchs long game since the time of Thatcher/Regan I reckon.

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Chuck--

Some leftsided commentators I respect are arguing hard that these folks should be ignored/thrown by the wayside for the duration, and it is becoming harder and harder to refute their arguments based on events and data.

Others, who are much more cynical in my view (although they pretend to be the opposite see Frum, David, for example), are arguing the other way. Specifically, that will be right with the rabid base once the Trump's of the world are removed from power (which is hard to figure given how hard they themselves worked to build said rabid base).

Personally, I honestly believe the key here is media reform. Put another way...As long as extremist entities like Breitbart south of the border and Rebel Media north of the border can spin off surrogates and fire salvos out of their wurlitzers that then get dropped into the offerings of mainstream corporate outlets where they are portrayed as legitimate personages and points of debate the stupidity will abound (and persist).


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