There are 2 reasons the U.S. hasn't done a paid lockdown to combat COVID-19:

1) Opposition from the business community.

2) Decades of neoliberal thinking make such a huge federal undertaking unthinkable.

So we left it to states to respond and banked on vaccines.

565,000k died
There are people out there who think it's about "freedom" or whatever. It's not. It's about cowardice and lack of vision in DC.

Americans deserved better.
I've spent an hour talking to anti-lockdown people who insist that we can't control the virus, nor should we try, and that reopening is fairer to the vulnerable because everyone will be exposed and bear the cost.

I cannot stress enough how monstrous and wrong this thinking is.
We know lockdowns as a policy do work. People need to stop shrugging at mass death and hold their leaders accountable.
reuters.com/article/uk-fac…
Essential workers have borne the heaviest cost during the pandemic. There are things we should do to alleviate that: hazard pay, paid sick leave, end at-will employment, etc.

But "open up for fairness" is silly. Rich&poor aren't exposed equally. Former has better medical access.
While we vaccinate, all but most essential businesses should be required to temporarily close or work remotely; evictions and utility shutoffs (including internet) should be suspended, debts should be canceled/suspended, and every single American should be getting $2,000-a-month.

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More from @WalkerBragman

23 Jan
Uncontrolled viral spread is creating mutated variants of COVID.

These variants may drive reinfections; may become vaccine-resistant; may be more deadly; may be more infectious...

Safety precautions while staying open can only go so far. We've seen it in NY.

We must lock down
In order to lock down, our federal government and state governments must step in and provide aid.

People will need at least $2k-a-month. Rent, mortgages, debt will have to be frozen and forgiven. The unhoused will have to be housed.

These are doable. But they require will.
This crisis is what government exists for. The private sector is incapable of leading the way out of it. Efforts to keep government limited have hamstrung our efforts so far and may have already ensured this virus becomes seasonal.

But we must try--must throw everything at it.
Read 4 tweets
31 Dec 20
Neoliberalism is the disease and the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the symptom.
Over four decades, we defunded our public sector based on an ideology that dictates government is best when small, only acting through private intermediaries.

When COVID hit, we lacked the public health infrastructure and ideological footing to do what we needed to contain it.
The answers to COVID are obvious: national health care, lockdown, rent/mortgage payment/debt forgiveness, universal monthly relief, supply deliveries, housing vouchers for the homeless.

But this kind of government intervention is utterly unthinkable under neoliberalism.
Read 4 tweets
31 Dec 20
The Washington Post’s Editorial Board ImageImageImageImage
Part II ImageImageImageImage
Part III: ImageImageImageImage
Read 10 tweets
31 Dec 20
Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley were the only Senate Dems who stood their ground against Mitch McConnell today to try to get a vote on $2000 checks. They were joined by 5 Republicans.

Every other Dem surrendered.
Leverage is such a funny thing--here one moment, gone the next because Democrats are too chickenshit to hold up billions of dollars for war to ensure the American people get $2,000 checks in the middle of a pandemic-depression.
Subscribe to The Daily Poster dailyposter.com/p/senate-democ…
Read 4 tweets
21 Dec 20
The new COVID relief bill contains $500,000,000 for Israel. ImageImage
The legislative package also contains $2 billion for Air Force missile procurement and related expenses. Image
$4 billion for Navy weapons procurement. Image
Read 8 tweets
20 Dec 20
As this lefty debate has evolved, it's inevitably broken down to its roots--one faction wants to burn the party down bc things are moving too slow, one sees a way to build power within it, another is open to anything new that works.

But all ultimately share the same frustrations
Ultimately, this blow-up was somewhat inevitable after 2020 with Sanders failing to win the primary twice. A whole lot of people put their hopes in a revolution only to be stymied.

And now to be shut out of power entirely...well, yeah. Inevitable.
It is easy to be completely negative about this moment, but there are positive signs for the future: progressive ideas are popular and will continue to gain steam. Progressive numbers in the House are growing and the demographics favor a continuation of that trend.
Read 5 tweets

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