Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

Size of the country has nothing to do with it (and, indeed, China is actually larger than the US). Contact tracing becomes impossible when too many people get sick, and if you don't have good testing. The federal government prefers denial.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

WSJ

Federal abdication.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

Ummm. Not all of us are. Just 57 percent of Rs.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

Doesn't "sent to the States" mean the States have the money? Is it their fault and not the Feds? I'm not arguing your point, just not sure I get it.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

The federal government dumped the problem on the states, and the states are not meeting the challenge. I suspect that there are different stories in different states about why that is, but to me the fundamental issue that the Trump administration did not want to and was incapable of leading a national response to the virus.

I worked in the federal government, under Republican and Democratic Presidents. Was my agency the most competent, swiftest organization in the world? No, but it was pretty good, and it was full of committed people who took their jobs seriously, and it was led by political appointees who were serious people who wanted to do a good job. I worked with state counterparts, who were invariably good people at much smaller, much less competent organizations with many fewer resources. I suspect the same is basically true with public health. If you have a big challenge and you need to mobilize resources for the nation to act, you use the federal government. Is there anything that states do better than the federal government?

eta: Fundamentally, temperamentally, Trump did not want to do the hard work of fighting a pandemic. He much preferred to dump the problem on someone else (initially Pence, for whom he was not doing a favor, and then the states), and to dole out resources, which let him favor his friends and disadvantage his enemies. It also let him suppress complaints from the states, who were afraid to say anything about what the federal government was doing lest they have PPE seized and not get respirators, etc. Trump does grievance, not solutions, and his heart was really in complaining about the Faucis of the world who wanted to close businesses and tell people to wear masks. What incentives does that create for everyone who works for him?

Re: A or B
 

Well, if ever in Boston, I would be happy to share.

I got into wines early and put them away when the kids were young, and am now in the position where my cellar has more mature wines that I can reasonably try to drink. I was just starting to expand the entertaining enough to get control of the situation before the pandemic hit, I've actually cracked several bottles in the last few years I'd let age too far past their prime. But for the most part these days I'm opening 20-30 year old bottles of Bordeaux and its equivalent and 50 year bottles of port and sherry.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

You don’t know that herd immunity cannot be achieved. You’re using conjecture as fact. (I don’t know if it can be, but herd immunity to viruses is a proven thing, so it can happen, whereas the rarity of a virus not being susceptible to herd immunity is a novel and more likely improbable notion.)

On your second point, revisit my comment on geography. This virus hasn’t impacted my life except as to going to bars and restaurants and having to set up an educational pod for schooling. I’m living pretty much the same life, only now with a mask. If I lived in FL, or NYC a few months ago, it’d be different. But I don’t. And there are probably over a hundred million like me. This isn’t an apocalypse except for in certain geographic locales.

ETA: I feel bad for the locales that acquire it thru no fault (denser areas). I feel no sympathy for the people who think it’s “freedom” to run around without a mask.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

I thought Covid was just like the flu? Oh, it can be so hard to keep up with your optimism.

What's happening with K-12 schools in your area?

Re: A or B
 

If I’m ever able to leave this bloody Commonwealth again and travel there, I’ll take you up on that.

You have far more patience than I do. If I know I have good anything around, I’m compelled to sip it.

There is one style I liked very much. I went to a dinner where most of the pairings were with Barolos. That was quite tasty stuff.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

We’re totally remote. The older teachers, understandably, refused to teach. Private schools are attempting to stay open, but it’s kind of a joke. Plexiglass dividers for each kid? Come on.

The colleges are the ones behaving awfully. They’re staying open just to steal some room and board money from parents. Scott Galloway was spot-on in his assessment of that con.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

Another two identified today

Again they seem to harp on the "No real antibodies" and "second time asymptomatic" shtick but there are other cases where the second bout was worse.

Re: A or B
 

If you like Barolas, try Amarones.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

Dude, you're a PI guy. i know you can do the math in your sleep. 25 million.

Re: A or B
 

Both wonderful. I have a friend and client who is in to these, and was starting to get to know them better during the last couple of years of before-times.

Re: Team Eradication 1, Team Herd Immunity Nil
 

How are you so sure? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mar...ing-2020-08-24