Nancy asks Donald what he is waiting for.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/488392-pelosi-urges-trump-to-tap-emergency-war-powers-immediately

So Mr. Trump signs the DPA and then does not move forward on it? What is he waiting for?

We have all seen the reports on the need for ventilators, and shortages of masks and other necessary PPE (primarily for health care and potentially first responders). Why would he not invoke the powers to get the ball rolling?

His tweet says “I only signed the Defense Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future. Hopefully there will be no need, but we are all in this TOGETHER!” Would it not be prudent to be prepared for “the worst case scenario” instead of waiting for it to be upon us? SMH!

Published by Adam Green

A 24 year Navy vet, cancer survivor, father, grandfather, assistant caregiver for my live-in mother-in-law. Enjoys golf, football (real and fantasy), being the best grandfather I can, supporting the endeavors of my children (both involved in the education of our younger generations) and tormenting my wife of 34 years. Also prefer bourbon over scotch, but will drink both, just not at the same time. Discovering craft beers and trying trying hard to get to a consistent golf swing.

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31 thoughts on “Nancy asks Donald what he is waiting for.”

  1. Reasonable question, he probably needs to see which actions will help his reelection first.

    I wish he would quit antagonizing the Chinese while he dithers. We don’t need to ratchet up the trade war (pissing contest) at this point.

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  2. You have supply and you have demand. Problems arise when supply can’t keep up with demand. Unfortunately, The Hill article doesn’t tell us whether any supply and demand problems currently exist or are expected. It merely repeats Speaker Pelosi’s vague and unsubstantiated claim that, “Right now, shortages” are a problem.

    “Shortages,” both known and expected, may indeed be a problem, but current efforts to address them may well be adequate. After all, manufacturers are stepping up production of critical supplies, the DoD is releasing inventory to provide a demand buffer, and the CDC is prioritizing delivery based on need and efficacy.

    No one can predict the future with certainty, but there’s precious little data to go on here to support the assumption that not enough is being done, as Speaker Pelosi claims.

    It would be best if pundits and politicians alike put a little more analysis into their messaging so as to avoid irrational fear mongering.

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    1. You’re kidding, right? The demand issues have been reported for at least a week already. The demand, especially for ventilators, is VERY likely to go up as more testing is done and more cases are identified. Then there was a report this morning that over 50% of ICU admissions were for people UNDER age 65.

      …”current efforts to address them may well be adequate.” If you listen to those on the front lines, maybe you would realize that current efforts are far from adequate. If Mr. Trump does not take action NOW, when the time comes it may will be too little, too late. The same way he poo-pooed the initial virus response.

      If you believe there is no demand right now, you are delusional.

      See my epiphany post and tell me which category you put yourself in. I know which one I would categorize you as.

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      1. RE: “The demand issues have been reported for at least a week already.”

        Do you have numbers? The point is that “demand issues” is a vague and unquantified term. To say there’s a problem you must be able to say, “We need X of this and Y of that, but we only have Z of either.” If you can’t be as specific as that, then you are contributing to the problem of mass ignorance and fear in the face of a crisis.

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        1. No one has exact numbers. If you wait until the exact number is know, it will be too late. Get production ramped up for the now and sooner. Anything that is not used this time will be in strategic reserve for the next time. Because if you think this won’t happen again, you are del….damn almost said it again.

          The main contributor to mass ignorance is the ignoramous-in-charge and his toadies who say thing like this:
          https://thehill.com/homenews/house/488401-don-young-dismisses-beer-virus-tells-seniors-to-go-forth-with-everyday

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        2. RE: “Get production ramped up for the now and sooner. Anything that is not used this time will be in strategic reserve for the next time.”

          Ramping up production may be a good thing in a philosophical sense, but you need actual numbers — at least reasonable forecasts — to do it in practice. It doesn’t make sense to commit to producing, say, twice or three times what we expect to need on the assumption that we can always use the excess later.

          The reason is that producing more of one thing always means producing less of something else that may also be needed.

          Put another way, letting philosophy triumph over analysis is actually an irrational approach. It would amount to succumbing to “overhyped, fear mongering panic.”

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          1. “The reason is that producing more of one thing always means producing less of something else that may also be needed.”

            Head in the sand thinking. You really ignored completely the concept of anything that is over produced can go into a strategic stash for the next time. Ignore that at your own peril.

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          2. RE: “You really ignored completely the concept of anything that is over produced can go into a strategic stash for the next time.”

            I addressed the concept directly by noting that “producing more of one thing always means producing less of something else that also may be needed.” And you, yourself give an example of this, below, where you mention that GM is diverting production from automobiles to ventilators.

            You may imagine philosophically that we can do with fewer cars, but that’s another case of philosophy being impractical. Here are a few examples:

            • When cars are not produced, neither are all the things cars are made from, harming all the people who produce them.

            • When cars are not produced, demand builds up, leading to price and availability problems after the immediate crisis subsides.

            • When you give space in our strategic inventory to an overabundance of ventilators, you have to give up space for other items of strategic value.

            And so on. Every action has multiple consequences such that it is not wise to engage in damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead style thinking, as Nancy Pelosi does.

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          4. Cars are already not being produced. Those workers are idled now. If the automotive industry is willing and able to shift production to other materials needed during this crisis and those workers are…working, then it can be a win-win situation.

            Space? Seriously? You don’t think the government has warehouse capabilities to store materials for the next time? Interesting.

            Damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead is what is needed. I have an inkling, call it a hunch, that if what Pelosi proposed was put forth by McConnell, or Meadows, or G-d forbid, Devin Nunes, you wold be cheering like a high schooler hearing exams have been cancelled.

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  3. How much do you really think any amount of money could increase ventilator production?

    DO you doubt that the companies capable of making them aren’t at full production already, and have been since the virus first appeared? They have known their products would be in demand.

    But they’re not like hockey pucks that you just pop out of a mold. They are complex items using lots of electronic controls that can’t be had on short order.

    There are some problems that can’t be fixed by hitting them with a bag of money.

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      1. Good to hear, but it’s still going to take time to ramp up the part making process.

        The cry to spend faster is just partisan posturing, the money will be there faster than the supply and so long as it is committed the money won’t slow production

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    2. RE: “But they’re not like hockey pucks that you just pop out of a mold. They are complex items using lots of electronic controls that can’t be had on short order.”

      When this is over, we should take a look at where the parts come from.

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    3. @Tabor

      Sure, some problems cannot be solved with money, but getting ventilators to where they are needed is not one of them.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/18/ventilator-shortage-hospital-icu-coronavirus/

      This is another sick manifestation of our for-profit healthcare system. The gist of the story is that hospitals are reluctant to buy these things because of the expense and the excess number they will have after the crisis has passed.

      “Hospitals are holding back from ordering more medical ventilators because of the high cost for what may be only a short-term spike in demand from the coronavirus epidemic, supply chain experts and health researchers say, intensifying an anticipated shortage of lifesaving equipment for patients who become critically ill.

      The lack of ventilators — and growing calls for a more aggressive government role to fill the gap — was a subject of tense exchanges this week between President Trump and state officials.”

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      1. Where is the shortage of ventilators most critical? The US or in Europe?

        Hint: It’s not the US.

        The bottleneck is not purchasing by hospitals, it is production.

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        1. @Tabor

          I provided the reporting that the problem is a lack of orders. Your statement that it is a matter of production is something you made up. If you read the WAPO article you would know that the industry could move very quickly to ramp up production IF they had the purchase orders.

          As for your “hint” – We are still in the very early stages of an exponentially expanding infection rate. Parts of Europe are 2 or 3 weeks further into it than we are so far. The epidemiological experts can predict what is about to happen. Maybe you saw reporting the Harvard epidemiology study which found that this area is in danger of exceeding its ICU beds buy 500%. Or is that just more fake news to you?

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        2. For what it is worth, here is a pretty definitive piece about the ventilator issue. It’s complicated to be sure. An eye opener to me was both the cost and the talent need to operate those machine when hooked up to a patient.

          https://www.forbes.com/sites/baldwin/2020/03/14/ventilator-maker-we-can-ramp-up-production-five-fold/#24710d9f5e9a

          It seems the cost is about $25,000 each under normal circumstances. Which means that even if manufacturers ramp up, they need to assured that someone will buy them when things getter better.
          Germany has told their companies that the government will guarantee that by buying them. That also takes the hospitals off the hook for purchasing them.

          Next, proper operation of a ventilator is critical. Wrong parameters that are input could result in death of the patient. A skill set that not that many have according to the article.

          Finally, each manufacturer has proprietary parts so that one will not readily replace another in a pinch.

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          2. What an uplifting piece. It gives me a sense of optimism that there are leaders who can step up to the plate.

            Thanks for posting.

            Liked by 2 people

        1. My Forbes link has a sentence that is a bit ambiguous regarding China and its importing of ventilators.

          “ The ventilator industry is getting a burst of desperate orders from China and Italy. The U.S. hasn’t seen that yet, although manufacturers are bracing for it.”

          Does that mean that US manufacturers haven’t seen more orders from China than the ones they are already contracted to fill, and are filling, as of today?

          And as a manufacturing company, are they not obligated contractually to the buyer, the Chinese?
          And if the Chinese are paying but the US has no guarantees, isn’t the plant obligated to its shareholders to make the more secure deal?

          Now we might declare some special emergency, which is in the offing, and do like the Germans by guaranteeing payment by the government to protect the companies and the hospitals from crushing debt after the dust settles.

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          1. We didn’t need as many tanks and bombers after WW2 ended either.

            I see no reason the government cannot buy the ventilators and then loan them to hospitals.

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          2. I agree. Manufacturers and hospitals can’t afford to eat the costs. Besides a federal stockpile if well protected can last years.

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