I thought I addressed that. Travel was also open between states, and many countries with "free travel amongst nations" had no-travel/stay at home orders in place, unlike the U.S., and afaik, mandatory quarantine for all international travelers.

Again, because he eradicated the international Global Health Security and Biodefense unit, I can legitimately ascribe every single non Chinese death and most Chinese deaths to his actions directly. A pandemic on this level WAS foreseen after SARS, Ebola, and Swine Flu, it's why we created the GHSB. It's why we had a pandemic response plan that Trump completely ignored and actually denied it existed for months and months.

I also am going by facts. My facts say that at least four things Trump did against professional advice took us from prepared to minimise any pandemic to at worst a foreign epidemic to a place where months after pandemics start our leader denied any danger and made no moves to stop it.
1) Eradication of the GHSB, missed opportunity one to have zero US cases and avoid a pandemic completely.
2) Repeated early public denial of the danger while encouraging others to do the same and go about business as usual, missed opportunity two to have zero US cases, and a missed opportunity to minimize any spread if quarantining travelers (something else he failed miserably to even consider early on) failed.
3) Encouragement of those who trust him to ignore all mitigation efforts, don't mask, don't social distance, don't shut down non essential businesses, don't close schools, don't listen to medical professionals....missed opportunity number three to minimize US infections to thousands instead of hundreds of thousands. Remember the many months he said grandma would gladly die to get people back to work, pretending many months in that only feeble octogenarians get sick?
4) Denial of a prepared response plan, never following it and claiming total ignorance, missed opportunity number four to follow prepared plans based on science from day one, missing the opportunity to keep our infection rate at S Korean levels.

That's four well researched and vetted moronic, irrational, and irresponsible mistakes he personally made that multiplied our infection rate by 100- infinity times (if we could have had zero without his multiple massive and stupid mistakes, which is not just possible but likely, he can be said to have CAUSED every single US case, multiplying our infections by infinity.). There were more, but I'm beating a dead horse.
Remember, his real plan was natural herd immunity, with an expected 3-60 million deaths depending on who you asked.

I say if intelligent decisions could have avoided all US infections, and that's undeniable IMO, you can lay the blame for as high a percentage as you like on the leader who made bad dangerous decisions out of pure narcissistic ignorance and hatred of his predecessor...up to 100%. 80-90% still seems like I'm coddling him, at least two failures could have made cases zero, and others minimized it to under 10% of what we have. All four I listed almost certainly allowed >90% giving every doubt and giving him all possible credit....so yes, I'm satisfied I'm not exaggerating.

Obama's responsible and responsive planning and execution stopped Ebola from ever spreading here despite it making it to our shores, and it was FAR more contagious and deadly. Had we had Trump then doing the same things, there would be tens of millions dead and likely still spreading disease, imo.


Edit: let me try analogy...If a mayor removes the stop signs from 4 way highway intersections, they are responsible for every wreck that happens, even though other towns with stop signs still have wrecks at intersections. Trump pulled the signs, removed the flashing red light, and cut first responder funding, and claimed there never was a highway code to follow and he takes no responsibility for the jump in highway deaths.

Try reading your own posts.
What is wrong with you ?
Hate is just pouring out of you uncontrollably....consistently...hatred and....nope, no information, just hatred, insults, and whining....complaints about movies, weather, comments, complaints equating both of our last two presidents as if their foibles are equally destructive, complaints about immigration not in your country, complaints about who's to blame for the state of our border, infantile one sided attacks about speaking abilities, stupid accusations of dementia, and constant whining that someone didn't agree with your spiteful post. All your complaints come directly from the Trumptard playbook. It's possible you aren't team Trump, but you are on their side of the stadium wearing a red jersey and hat, and shouting their jeers and chants as you deny it. I went back and looked at your few posts, it's not a fluke. You are consistently dismissive and insulting off the bat and never add to conversations, you just bitch about others.
Indeed, only 3 are directed at someone besides me. Only one had any actual attempt at offering any information, most are just dismissive insults and/or complaints.

I offered plenty of information and verifiable fact from multiple sources, you did not.

I hate hypocritical liars and those who cheer them on and spread their lies or support them by consistently attacking their opponents while ignoring exponentially worse examples of the same behaviors from them, so yep, you might see some hatred. I hate those who conflate and equate totally inept evil narcissistic self dealing criminal leaders with imperfect but thoughtful and caring life long civil servants. I also dislike people who's best arguments are at place on the second grade playground, useless hate filled insults and complaints but bereft of fact, reason, and information. Where does your irrational hatred come from?

Have a great year, we'll try this again next year, but not before. Once a year is enough.

LMFAHS!!!! Bobby? That is you, isn't it? This is the kind of total non sequitur, irrational, fact free, second grade level "argument" I expect from you. Not sure why you quoted me, you didn't address a single point I made with your rambling rant.

The delusion and lack of self awareness is strong with this one.

Sorry, there's no cult of Biden. Democrats still have functioning brains, unlike Trumpists who believe eating fresh babies make people younger and gives them magic powers, that vaccines have invisible Microsoft microchips that will take over their brains so George Soros can force them to become transsexual communists, and that when you lose an election the patriotic thing to do is stage a deadly coup. The right lost it's mind in 2015 and has never seen a doctor.

If Biden shot someone in cold blood, Democrats would demand prosecution and ostracize him. When Trump said it, he meant it, and the crowd of magamorons cheered in unanimous agreement. Derp?

Not a bit sure what you mean by linking an article about Biden considering completing some of the useless fencing Trump replaced existing barriers with. No surprise, most of the "wall" Trump brags about replaced existing barriers, many more functional than his fence design that is just gawd awful, easy to push down and drive trucks through and that can't even stand up in wind, but also weren't completed and often ended up being maybe 100 yards of fence, then 20 yards of nothing, then another 100 yards of fence, then more gaps, etc. Those unfinished repair/replacement projects are worthless wastes of billions if not finished, and often made the border more porous, not more secure, because they replaced functional (if imperfect) barriers. You think you have some point to make because Biden is considering finishing those projects to at least fix the holes Trump left, and plans to fund them legally through congress not by illegal executive orders taking money earmarked by congress for military family housing and handing it to his donors brand new construction companies for no bid contracts like Trump did, against court orders no less? I just don't know what you think that means, how it's a bad thing Biden is doing by not just ignoring problems created by the ineptitude of the previous administration but instead being presidential, or how it defends Trump's disastrous record, which seems to be your objective.

Hmmmm.....more snowflake tears, yummy.

Yes....Despite the efforts, prayers, claims, and wishes of Republicans, most of whom were shocked the military and police didn’t join their coup.
It’s what Q said would happen, isn’t it?

Edit: Remember, Republicans use the media to brainwash people JUST LIKE YOU to achieve irrational, non factual thought like fearing Jewish space lasers, thinking long term public pedophile Trump is some crusader against the pedophilic cabal that is hundreds of thousands of democrats and media personalities who eat freshly birthed babies by the truckload, like Coronavirus is not dangerous, not deadly, and isn’t as bad as a normal flu, like there was some huge conspiracy to defraud you by “stealing” the election perpetrated by millions in countries around the world including long dead leaders, allies and enemies alike, and every government agency that exists despite there not being a scintilla of evidence and despite this election being the most scrutinized ever.

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You utter fuckwit.

(not you, Morhaus, the dude in the video).

What exactly do you think happens to the people and funds holding those shorts? They have to pay the difference. They are contractually obligated to pay up -- period.

Everyone involved in the short was probably broke long before GME even hit $50. But, as we all learned from Goodfellas, "Fuck you, pay me!"

They're broke and on the hook for shit-tons of money. Guess where they're going to get that money? By selling solid assets. They're gonna dump everything they have to make up for the short loss. Who's holding the shares that're about to start tanking? The funds 401ks are invested in because they have to hold solid, reliable assets. The same funds people are relying on for their futures. These are the people who'll REALLY get fucked by this. If you've got a long enough timeline, hopefully, you'll get your money back (although at a loss of compounded value). If you're 65 and looking at your golden years through a lens of 20%+ returns, you're about to find out what happens when an irrational market decides to return to sanity.

Those are the first order effects. The second order effects range from the merely worrying to the outright fucking terrifying. There's a reason Goldman sent out its little missive last night after Mark Cuban pulled his stunt. This isn't just playing with fire, this is sitting in a room full of gasoline while Skippy, The Face-Ripper Ape On Meth, goes berserk with a blowtorch. God help us if this triggers some latent long-tail event.

The good news is that the idiocy of the crowds has apparently decided to dump GME in favor of silver. GME tanking will be bad, but mostly to people who should pay the price for dabbling magic they didn't understand. GME dumping will be good if you're worried about 2008 repeating itself, only without the whole "not letting AIG" fail thing.

People do not understand how fragile and insanely-interconnected the markets are, and how easily the whole goddamn thing could be brought down. We never solved the problems of 2008, we just dumped money on them; we never solved the underlying issues that lead to the Temper Tantrum of December 2018; and we sure the fuck didn't fix the fundamental issue that almost brought the whole show down on September 17 of 2019. And all this was before Covid. There's a reason I went all-in on bonds back in August and that Warren Buffet is sitting on a mountain of cash, and this is pretty much it.

So yeah, congrats to the little guy and all that shit, but don't think for a second that people at the top are going to be the ones who pay.

Trump lost before it started by being so incapable of civil or rational behavior they actually had to mute the president on live TV. Duh.

Slipping in polls, no money, failed pandemic response, failed trade wars, failed by sparking civil division, failed wall fraud, failed at race, failed economy, just failed all around.....but Biden lost by suggesting ending oil dependence, the only rational option?!

Are you saying being dependent on foreign oil, or massively subsidized oil at all, is good?! You like that kind of socialism, right? The kind where billion dollar companies get handouts they don't need, but citizens who are in need get the bills?!
Fuck, Bob.
Irrational desperation isn't a good look.

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I love the sideburns.

I'm pretty certain he would be happy to be in that group of deep thinkers instead of one with dumb ass Elvis, the anti drug-pill popper.

Religious people cannot be wholly logical, belief in the unseen unproven physically impossible and largely disproven and debunked supernatural is not logical or rational. (1) Putting your faith in the unproven is irrational and illogical, then using that misguided belief as a cudgel to berate others as +-99% of religious people do is just evil. Way worse than justifying military weapons in the name of science (which isn't reality, btw), it uses belief in the irrational and unprovable to justify USING those weapons on innocent populations, often for believing in the wrong irrational and unprovable supernatural ideas.
The worst atheist ape is more rational than the best believer, and on average around 10* more pleasant to talk with. They won't ever tell you all the ridiculous reasons you're going to hell, unless they're arguing directly from the theist's dogma and not reality....I often slam anti gay religious people for the much worse sin of mowing on Sunday, wearing cotton poly blends, or eating shellfish....but I don't believe it or even pretend to.

There's a logical explanation for Trump....think about how intollerably stupid, self centered, and irrational the average person is....now realize the truth that 1/2 are stupider, more self centered, and more irrational than that....add in the fact Trump lost by >3000000 votes but won the electoral college anyway, and boom, it makes sense. Maddening, soul crushing sense.

X-Secret devil sign on my forehead and spit twice, like Dio's mother taught him.

(1) That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

I don't respond to feel righteous or change his mind, I respond to give a clear, factual contradiction to the ridiculous propaganda he regurgitates to stop the spread of Trump Derangement Syndrome with as many references as possible to back my position....and because it's funny to me.
If no one does that, there are plenty of ignorant and lazy people who might just take his certitude as an indication he knows what he's talking about and never look for the facts.
If someone is biased enough that hearing verified facts contradict irrational misrepresentations makes them dig their heels in in support of the irrational lies, they were voting for Trump anyway no matter what they claim.

You are bat shit insane.

News is 24/7/365 against Trump because he does the wrong thing 24/7/365. That's pro-America.
It's not fake just because it exposes Trump's criminality, no matter how many times you tell yourselves it is....and that is your definition. "Fake" doesn't mean wrong, factually inaccurate, or opinion presented as fact, it just means not praising Trump to your ilk. To thinking people, it's a scarlet letter on the forehead of anyone who uses it, they are clearly irrational cultists who are not a bit honest and don't care to be, and most are too dumb to realize it.

Q is complete insanity and bullshit without a scintilla of truth that only mental detectives even listen too, much less believe. If you have Q followers take IQ tests, guaranteed the average would be <80. No surprise you're a fan.
Tinge of baby eating?!? Baby eating claims are their raison d'etre.

Isn't it hilarious how Trump's best argument is "If you elect Biden, things could be almost as bad as they are now under me." I particularly like the one with the riots and Jack booted thugs of Trump's American nightmare claiming this could be Biden's America....BUT THAT IS TRUMP'S AMERICA YOU IJITS.

Trump didn't stand up for us against China, he stood up for Ivanka, then asked China to interfere in our election. He tossed out a trade pact for trade wars costing Americans untold billions or trillions and totally failed at trade talks.

Every other nation except Russia and Saudi Arabia want Biden over Trump, especially our allies but even most of our enemies would rather we be rational and sane than unpredictably weak and irrationally scared.

If you want to talk about family members profiting from their parent's public office, let's talk about Trump's kids @bobknight33, who actually did take gifts directly from China (not profits on investments they made, gifts) of tens of millions, one worth a reported $35 million by itself, or the hundreds of millions collected from the middle east by Jarred, or the tens of millions collected by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb from Canada and elsewhere...all based on promises made by the president to those foreign powers to scratch their back if they scratch his.

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Face it, you cannot make a single accusation on any topic deriding Biden where there isn't direct evidence of Trump being exponentially worse than his usually false accusations about Biden. Not one. *fail is right, buddy, another failed Trump attempt to smear a good man.
BTW, another court has said Trump can no longer hide his tax frauds today. Never before has so much taxpayer money been spent to hide someone's taxes, constant court cases for years using government lawyers has likely cost taxpayers near $100000000 to hide his taxes if you count the cost of the lawyers and courts, of course never before has a president refused to release them before the election, but never before has a repeatedly convicted fraud, thief, and charity con man been president.

Edit : Aaaaaaaahahahahaaa!!!! Another Trump stooge, Steve Bannon (I don't know him, never met him, I've heard good things about him but no, I don't know Steve) and multiple other administration officials including the acting head of the DEA arrested on more fraud charges, this time for defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors out of >$25000000 they donated to Trump's "build the wall" campaign. The hits never stop coming with Trump. Tired of winning yet?

While I agree about Stossel, this time I think he's right.
By the standards described, my parents would still be in prison for egregious lack of supervision.
If police think a park full of kids and parents isn't a safe place for a child, that's their failure to make the community safe, not some fault by the parents. Police overreaction based on their irrational fear of the worst possible, however unlikely, scenario should be disincentivised.

Potential.
Historically; freedoms, rights, and opportunities, both economic and social.
Until recently, governmental system.
Wealth (per capita).
Military might (although I accept the argument that this is more often a net loss, not a net gain).

Yes, it swings both ways, as you also have the freedom to be as terrible as you like, to hate as irrationally as you like, to be as ignorant and dumb as you like, to be as spiteful and self serving as you like. Before we allowed our system to be purchased by the deepest pockets for purely personal gains of the powerful few with Citizens United, our system was well designed to serve the people, which while imperfect was still better than almost all others. There is still the possibility, however slight, that that democracy killing decision can be remedied with an amendment and we can get back on the right track. Most other systems are lacking in such self correction.

I'm not claiming perfection, far from it, but our overall potential outweighs any other nation's (at least it used to). Yes, we have bigots, but less than many nations by far. Some countries still allow murder of improper worshippers or don't allow certain races to become citizens.
Yes, we have more than our share of loudmouth ignorant morons, but there are other nations that beat us there too. We (as a whole) don't believe aids comes from homosexuals eating each other's poop, for instance, or that women's brains are 1/2 the size of men's. The opportunities for educational advancements are better here than most countries, but not all I admit, and far too many don't avail themselves of said opportunities, granted.
Yes, we have poor people, but fewer per capita than many if not most others, and the opportunity for ethical advancement both financial and social are still good, but admittedly that's changing.
Equality under the law, while far from perfection in that respect, we are (or were) still moving in the right direction.

We have a long hard Sisyphusian slog towards perfection, but overall, historically, we have been crawling towards justice more than away.

That said, New Zealand has been nipping at our heels for a while, and arguments could be made that they presently are ahead in all meaningful ways besides size and weather.

That's what I thought. You have no idea what the expression means.

"Trump is winning....he's always been successful....the worm has turned."

Just more irrational nonsense. That's just like saying Trump is healthy, he's always been completely healthy, and he's now starting to overcome that poor health and finally get better.

*facepalm

Yes, they have lower rates. But the point isn't that the rates are the same (they're not), the point is that the rates are low enough to not have an immediate fear of them. An immediate fear would be unwarranted and irrational.

E.g. you probably don't fear dying every time you hop into a vehicle because it has a relatively low risk of killing you (even though the risk is much higher than that of being killed in a homicide by firearm). Having an immediate fear of it would be irrational.

You probably don't fear dying in a general accident (i.e. including all work place and public accidents together). Even though it represents about 170,000 deaths a year (an number so large it makes the topic of firearms deaths look like a joke), it is still a relatively low risk. Having an immediate fear of it would be irrational.

This is not to suggest that these things are not to be respected. We must try and reduce all mortality and morbidity. But you need to be effective at it. This is public health. You choose the method that will have the largest effect.

For example, you will have a bigger effect restricting sugar intake to reduce diabetes deaths, which outnumber homicide by firearm deaths by about an order of magnitude.

The majority of the 40k firearm deaths consist of suicides. There is an important distinction between homicide (the topic) and suicide. Don't mix them up if the topic is homicide by firearm.

Go look at what is actually killing people:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_06-508.pdf

The irony is palpable.
This hyper cynical assessment of cynicism and cynics is some serious Jr high psychology in video form.

I'm clearly a cynic.
I had a decent childhood, with minor neglect but nothing that hurt me, just taught me to enjoy solitude. Like others, I've suffered loss of loved ones, both by death and choice, more often than I deemed fair. Like mom used to say," who told you life was supposed to be fair?" There's no secret hurt I'm brooding over.
I do have worldly experience, I traveled more by 18 than most do in their lifetime, studied at some excellent schools (and some horrific ones) for over a decade after high school, I have plenty of love and kindness in my life, more than I want or think I deserve sometimes. I've been happily married to the same woman for 21 years.
I thought this video was a slap in the face to honest cynics...dismissive of our valid, empirical evidence of how fucked things are, how crappy humanity is, and how little chance there is of solving our problems before it's too late, and infantalizing us as irrational babies lashing out because we've been hurt. Maybe we just refuse to pull the wool over our own eyes because we much prefer ugly truth to beautiful lies.
Edit: also, there's the idea that if you always expect the worst, you're never disappointed.

*rant over