Coronavirus

Political discussion here. Any reasonable opinion is welcome, but due to the sensitive nature of the topic area, please be nice and respectful to others. No flaming or trolling, please. And please keep political commentary out of the other board areas and confine it to this area. Thanks!
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Indy
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Indy »

What are the odds on the election being cancelled? They probably can't have a GOP or DNC convention this year either.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Mori Chu »

Big scandal story broke yesterday. It seems that multiple US Senators received briefings about how bad corona would be here in the US in January, and in response, they sold massive amounts of stock before the economy crashed. They then went on to downplay how bad corona would be to ensure that they got out of the market before it crashed, and then continued to avoid warning their constituents about it. Senator Burr privately advised a group of associates that corona would be really bad, similar to the 1918 Spanish flu, while downplaying it in his public comments. In the case of one senator, Kelly Loeffler, she then went on to BUY large amounts of stock in teleconferencing software company Citrix, knowing that people would need to work from home. Most of the senators involved seem to be GOP, but at least one Dem, Dianne Feinstein, may have done the same. This is absolutely abhorrent; each one of these senators should be investigated and likely resign and face prosecution.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... velations/
https://www.propublica.org/article/sena ... eparedness
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly ... s-briefing
https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/richard-b ... -briefing/

The senators involved so far seem to be:

Bill Burr (R), North Carolina
Kelly Loeffler (R), Georgia
Jim Inhofe (R), Oklahoma
Dianne Feinstein (D), California

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Indy
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Indy »

Aren't there laws in place to shield congresspeople from insider trading rules?

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Nodack
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Nodack »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOCK_Act
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act (Pub.L. 112–105, S. 2038, 126 Stat. 291, enacted April 4, 2012) is an Act of Congress designed to combat insider trading. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 4, 2012. The bill prohibits the use of non-public information for private profit, including insider trading by members of Congress and other government employees. It confirms changes to the Commodity Exchange Act, specifies reporting intervals for financial transactions.

The bill was introduced by Tim Walz, Democrat United States House of Representatives from Minnesota, on March 17, 2011. The bill languished for years until CBS’s 60 minutes ran an expose on insider trading on November 12, 2011. In February, 2012 the bill passed in the Senate by a 96–3 vote.[2] Later the House of Representatives passed it by a 417–2 vote.[3] The bill was supported heavily by vulnerable incumbents and signed into law by President Obama.[4] According to the current United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics, "A member, officer, or employee of the Senate shall not receive any compensation, nor shall he permit any compensation to accrue to his beneficial interest from any source, the receipt or accrual of which would occur by virtue of influence improperly exerted from his position as a member, officer, or employee."[5]

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Mori Chu
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Mori Chu »

Here's a video about what it's like in Italy (and what's coming for us):


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Flagrant Fowl
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

Indy wrote:
Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:06 am
Aren't there laws in place to shield congresspeople from insider trading rules?
Nodack wrote:It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 4, 2012.
Silly. Everyone knows that Obama is a Deep State president and his laws don't count.
Send me a PM if you're interested in joining the phx-suns.net fantasy basketball league.

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virtual9mm
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by virtual9mm »

Mori Chu wrote:
Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:51 am
Big scandal story broke yesterday. It seems that multiple US Senators received briefings about how bad corona would be here in the US in January, and in response, they sold massive amounts of stock before the economy crashed. They then went on to downplay how bad corona would be to ensure that they got out of the market before it crashed, and then continued to avoid warning their constituents about it. Senator Burr privately advised a group of associates that corona would be really bad, similar to the 1918 Spanish flu, while downplaying it in his public comments. In the case of one senator, Kelly Loeffler, she then went on to BUY large amounts of stock in teleconferencing software company Citrix, knowing that people would need to work from home. Most of the senators involved seem to be GOP, but at least one Dem, Dianne Feinstein, may have done the same. This is absolutely abhorrent; each one of these senators should be investigated and likely resign and face prosecution.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... velations/
https://www.propublica.org/article/sena ... eparedness
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly ... s-briefing
https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/richard-b ... -briefing/

The senators involved so far seem to be:

Bill Burr (R), North Carolina
Kelly Loeffler (R), Georgia
Jim Inhofe (R), Oklahoma
Dianne Feinstein (D), California
Burr should fry and is going to fry. I think that the others are almost certain to be innocent -- Feinstein and perhaps Loeffler didn't make the decisions and Inhofe had been negotiating for the sale for a long time. Feinstein actually lost money on the trade compared to if she had hung onto the shares.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Mori Chu »

The senators who truly committed misconduct should face strong consequences. But I have so little faith in our system any more to actually do the right thing. If I had to guess, I'd say they all escape with no real punishment of any kind.

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Superbone
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Superbone »

"Be Legendary."

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Superbone
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Superbone »

"Be Legendary."

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3rdside
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by 3rdside »

Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:17 am
The senators who truly committed misconduct should face strong consequences. But I have so little faith in our system any more to actually do the right thing. If I had to guess, I'd say they all escape with no real punishment of any kind.

If you know someone in America you're good it seems ... one set of rules for some, one set of rules for others ...


Have been trying to avoid .net as I'm studying but it's got nuts out there and I've been under virtual martial law here in Seville since last week, so more social interaction is probably advisable. And to give you an idea of what might be coming:

Spain looks to be in real trouble - very much like Italy it's lots of 3 generations living under one roof, higher density populations, lots of smokers, very sociable society that kiss each other when they meet. Although it's warmer here than Italy and spring has arrived.

We're allowed out for food shopping and that's it - and we're queuing (2m's apart) just to get into stores, and you have to put plastic gloves on that they provide before you walk in. Food supply seems pretty good so far, and as I was studying (self isolating by choice!) the impact to my life is quite low .. all i'm doing now is working out in my flat rather than at the gym.

Easy for me, would be a nightmare if you have young kids or older parents to live 24/7 with, and my mum and step-mum have underlying conditions so it's impossible not to be worried.

And I watch some of the footage in UK and US aghast - everyone has to isolate for now to flatten the curve as this thing is nasty.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Mori Chu »

3rdside wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:08 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:17 am
The senators who truly committed misconduct should face strong consequences. But I have so little faith in our system any more to actually do the right thing. If I had to guess, I'd say they all escape with no real punishment of any kind.

If you know someone in America you're good it seems ... one set of rules for some, one set of rules for others ...


Have been trying to avoid .net as I'm studying but it's got nuts out there and I've been under virtual martial law here in Seville since last week, so more social interaction is probably advisable. And to give you an idea of what might be coming:

Spain looks to be in real trouble - very much like Italy it's lots of 3 generations living under one roof, higher density populations, lots of smokers, very sociable society that kiss each other when they meet. Although it's warmer here than Italy and spring has arrived.

We're allowed out for food shopping and that's it - and we're queuing (2m's apart) just to get into stores, and you have to put plastic gloves on that they provide before you walk in. Food supply seems pretty good so far, and as I was studying (self isolating by choice!) the impact to my life is quite low .. all i'm doing now is working out in my flat rather than at the gym.

Easy for me, would be a nightmare if you have young kids or older parents to live 24/7 with, and my mum and step-mum have underlying conditions so it's impossible not to be worried.

And I watch some of the footage in UK and US aghast - everyone has to isolate for now to flatten the curve as this thing is nasty.
That was all very interesting. Thank you so much for sharing it. It's really amazing to hear how different parts of the world are dealing with this awful virus.

BigLewy
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by BigLewy »

I've never posted in this folder before because I've been hesitant to do so as a conservative (I did not vote for Trump, lest I get painted as a racist or who knows what else), but this situation is getting wild to me. I'm lucky where my job isn't really impacted and I can work from home without any real "disruption". I'm on the east coast in CT, about 15 minutes from the NY state border, and a 2 hour train ride into NYC, and people really just need to stay home and sit tight. I'm in my late 30s and healthy, so I guess not a huge risk, but my in-laws and my father are all 65+ with health issues and it terrifies me. I have colleagues in my company all across the globe, and one in Spain was telling me how she basically cannot leave her house except for the essentials. I went to the grocery store the other day and it was madness. People were buying ungodly amounts of paper goods and bottled water and like 10 packets of chicken. I was supposed to go to Antigua in 3 weeks, but that's obviously not happening. I feel really bad for the local restaurants, bars, etc. A ton of local businesses near me won't survive this, and I've ordered takeout and given a tip as if I was dining in the actual restaurant, but if the rumblings are true and this will last into the summer, it's going to be devastating. I'm probably just rambling by now, but CT is enacting a stay in place edict tomorrow so I'm getting a little stir crazy.

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Superbone
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Superbone »

Thanks for posting, BL! And lol about letting us know you didn't vote for Trump. I try to be as tolerant as I can be toward others and try to understand each other. These are crazy times and I too am lucky to have a job that shouldn't be affected by the virus too much.
"Be Legendary."

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3rdside
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by 3rdside »

BigLewy wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 8:55 pm
I've never posted in this folder before because I've been hesitant to do so as a conservative
I have a few conservative friends and a very conservative dad .. safe to say I'm tuned in with them even though I'm not one of them! Not too much anyway, certain aspects of conservatism I can get behind.

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3rdside
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by 3rdside »

Mori Chu wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 8:06 pm
3rdside wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:08 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:17 am
The senators who truly committed misconduct should face strong consequences. But I have so little faith in our system any more to actually do the right thing. If I had to guess, I'd say they all escape with no real punishment of any kind.

If you know someone in America you're good it seems ... one set of rules for some, one set of rules for others ...


Have been trying to avoid .net as I'm studying but it's got nuts out there and I've been under virtual martial law here in Seville since last week, so more social interaction is probably advisable. And to give you an idea of what might be coming:

Spain looks to be in real trouble - very much like Italy it's lots of 3 generations living under one roof, higher density populations, lots of smokers, very sociable society that kiss each other when they meet. Although it's warmer here than Italy and spring has arrived.

We're allowed out for food shopping and that's it - and we're queuing (2m's apart) just to get into stores, and you have to put plastic gloves on that they provide before you walk in. Food supply seems pretty good so far, and as I was studying (self isolating by choice!) the impact to my life is quite low .. all i'm doing now is working out in my flat rather than at the gym.

Easy for me, would be a nightmare if you have young kids or older parents to live 24/7 with, and my mum and step-mum have underlying conditions so it's impossible not to be worried.

And I watch some of the footage in UK and US aghast - everyone has to isolate for now to flatten the curve as this thing is nasty.
That was all very interesting. Thank you so much for sharing it. It's really amazing to hear how different parts of the world are dealing with this awful virus.
All good - not sure if you saw the Joe Rogan podcast with the virus specialist but it's worth watching, at least the first 15 minutes or so, to get his views..not pretty.


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Mori Chu
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Mori Chu »

BigLewy wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 8:55 pm
I've never posted in this folder before because I've been hesitant to do so as a conservative (I did not vote for Trump, lest I get painted as a racist or who knows what else), but this situation is getting wild to me. I'm lucky where my job isn't really impacted and I can work from home without any real "disruption". I'm on the east coast in CT, about 15 minutes from the NY state border, and a 2 hour train ride into NYC, and people really just need to stay home and sit tight. I'm in my late 30s and healthy, so I guess not a huge risk, but my in-laws and my father are all 65+ with health issues and it terrifies me. I have colleagues in my company all across the globe, and one in Spain was telling me how she basically cannot leave her house except for the essentials. I went to the grocery store the other day and it was madness. People were buying ungodly amounts of paper goods and bottled water and like 10 packets of chicken. I was supposed to go to Antigua in 3 weeks, but that's obviously not happening. I feel really bad for the local restaurants, bars, etc. A ton of local businesses near me won't survive this, and I've ordered takeout and given a tip as if I was dining in the actual restaurant, but if the rumblings are true and this will last into the summer, it's going to be devastating. I'm probably just rambling by now, but CT is enacting a stay in place edict tomorrow so I'm getting a little stir crazy.
Thanks for posting, Lewy. You and your views are welcome here; I do some shouting about Trump, but I promise I don't want conservatives to be shut out or silenced in this area. I agree that staying home and under lockdown is the best thing we all can do right now. It's amazing to see these people out at beaches and parks and parties as if nothing were happening.

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Nodack
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Nodack »

I like having more conservatives in the politics folder bit, I understand them shying away.

I just got invited to a birthday party. I didn’t respond to the text yet. A party with a bunch of people is what we are NOT supposed to be doing.

As a musician, I have no idea when my next gig will be. June, July? That sounds optimistic at this point. It could be a year before I am allowed work again. My main band has been trying to keep positive and has kept a message thread going just to stay in contact. We have been posting a running thread of song names related to the outbreak.

Don’t stand so close to me - Police

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Nodack
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Nodack »

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-est ... 09693.html
Real Estate Billionaire Barrack Says Commercial Mortgages on Brink of Collapse
(Bloomberg) -- Real estate investor Tom Barrack said the U.S. commercial-mortgage market is on the brink of collapse and predicted a “domino effect” of catastrophic economic consequences if banks and government don’t take prompt action to keep borrowers from defaulting.

Barrack, chairman and chief executive officer of Colony Capital Inc., warned in a white paper and in a subsequent interview on Bloomberg Television of a chain reaction of margin calls, mass foreclosures, evictions and, potentially, bank failures due to the coronavirus pandemic and consequent shutdown of much of the U.S. economy.

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Indy
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Re: Coronavirus

Post by Indy »

Nodack wrote:
Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:19 am
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-est ... 09693.html
Real Estate Billionaire Barrack Says Commercial Mortgages on Brink of Collapse
(Bloomberg) -- Real estate investor Tom Barrack said the U.S. commercial-mortgage market is on the brink of collapse and predicted a “domino effect” of catastrophic economic consequences if banks and government don’t take prompt action to keep borrowers from defaulting.

Barrack, chairman and chief executive officer of Colony Capital Inc., warned in a white paper and in a subsequent interview on Bloomberg Television of a chain reaction of margin calls, mass foreclosures, evictions and, potentially, bank failures due to the coronavirus pandemic and consequent shutdown of much of the U.S. economy.
happy monday!

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