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Government is not your friend...

tomo,
Nature is probably about where they belong these days, and they can even romp there au naturel if they like, since it's not gong to assail my eyes. The Lancet is also off the reading list, but a comment at Jo Nova's pointed out this item. Pure politics. In this snippet:

The prospects for this failing system look bleak. Donald Trump again as US President? The far right making electoral gains across Europe? Murderous political leaders able to act with impunity?

Enjoyed that doco on Massie. Comes across as authentic, but then maybe he's just a *really good* actor. If he were on my ballot I'd risk it and give him a tick anyway.

This article was an interesting read. It's about one doctor's experience during the COVID capers and his perceptions of the USA system and its harmful incentives.

I don't think we can preen too much that That's where a private-only healthcare system gets you; it's another case of looking from pig to man and man to pig and seeing that there's no difference. He describes how doctors are pushed into particular behaviours by private administrators; in our systems they're pushed around in just the same way by public bureaucrats. Either way, the orchestra is lumbered with a conductor who can't read music.

He makes an important point that hasn't been emphasised enough elsewhere: this *wasn't* a COVID thing. The structural problems were there long before; COVID served to bring it to a crisis.

Liked one of the comments describing the result as a purge of the capable. That's it, and it's been more widely applied than just in medicine.

Tomo,

Well I guess if anyone knows misinformation its that lot!

DaveS,

Yeah, the BBC is right up with as a spreader of misinformation, which is surprising given their self declared role of being misinformation identifiers!!

Like their little screed on Harrison Butker, I mean the ONLY way they could have gotten their take on his speech so incredibly wrong was to have never listened to it and only read the comments made by leftists online. In this day and age of instant information there was absolutely no justification for the BBC NOT understanding what Butker was saying (that its actually ok for women to stay home and be a mom).

As I tell anyone who listens, the last play I ever go to for news in the main stream media and when I do its ONLY for sports results and not commentary.

Jun 7, 2024 at 8:41 AM | tomo

There's a certain irony seeing that bunch writing about the dangers of misinformation.

If they'd just sent them the $700, they could have bought a whole new telly with a couple of hundred left over

Government is not your friend...

rinse + repeat

Mailman,
National government doing affordable housing can only be virtue signalling. Like with COVID, it would be far better addressed locally than nationally. Couple of reasons the government doesn't like that approach:

1. lots of little budgets aren't nearly the ego-boost of one stonking big one,
2. if the problem is solved, there goes the meal ticket.

As you say, individuals are far more efficient than the bloated bureaucrats. When Australia changed from VHF to digital TV, the feds decided to provide set-top boxes to all pensioners so they could still use their old screens. After their shrewd dealing with the suppliers it added up to $700 per pensioner to receive a $100 gadget. If they'd just sent them the $700, they could have bought a whole new telly with a couple of hundred left over.

tomo,
Yes, the Post Office is a good fit for The Plan.

A bit of a statement of priorities to have "pride month" and "D Day". Liked the drone light-show. Wondered if the sparkles around the Spitfire were an aberration. Will consider them to be flak.

I agree on the fourth estate letting us down. Thing is that the need for a formal press *should* be less, now that every man and his dog is carrying a camera and mic, with an Internet close at hand to publish to.

I believe the Internet *could* help sort out a lot of public sector waste. For example, there was the MP expenses scandal about fifteen years ago. I don't think it would have happened if the UK had a policy of:

1. Bureaucrats do not review claims, they just pay them (up to some quite high limit)
2. All expense claims are published at an open website.

Even with no fourth estate, any outrageous claims would soon go viral on social media. It's the old saw of sunlight being the best disinfectant. Of course there is no chance of MPs voting in such measures, or the proposal even being tabled.

Those highlights from the former CDC director were very interesting. Having so many formerly "right thinkers" turning into conspiracy theorists can't be helping the people promoting the Narrative.

His bit about the different people responding in different ways to the create spike protein instruction plays straight to my N=1 mantra. We aren't all at the middle of the bell curve.

It also woke up a question I may have put here before: when the vaccines first came out, it was said to be most important that the elderly and the immunocompromised should get priority. Ok for the elderly; I get that. But a vaccine's objective is to train the immune system. Even if it can be trained, won't a compromised immune system only provide a weak response? So not much protection. And how many died during the "training"? Seems to me they were some of the few people who might have benefitted from hiding at home.