<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.gmaildefault
{mso-style-name:gmail_default;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Clark via extropy-chat<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] perspective on covid<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…No not like this. The only reason your figures make the USA look good and have far fewer confirmed cases than other large western countries is that the USA has tested far <b>FAR</b> fewer people than other large western countries…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>I was taking the ratio of confirmed cases to the number of people tested. Using that, the USA still looks good. North Korea has 1.8 times as many positives per prole tested.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>… and even though it is a world leader in science…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The USA is not a world leader in manufacturing. We are way down the list in that category. Most manufacturing has been outsourced to countries with fewer labor laws and environmental restrictions. China is the poster-child example of that, which is why they have so many factories there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…and has the largest economy in the world…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>But not the largest manufacturing capacity. The US doesn’t make these virus testing kits much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…due to leadership problems the USA doesn't have the capacity to test for more…<span class=gmaildefault>John K Clark<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>That lack of capacity has little to do with leadership. It has to do with tax structures, labor laws and environmental regulations that have sent manufacturing to China, where they don’t bother with keeping the environment clean or keeping the workers happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Do let me assure you, old frail people already know to stay off planes and ships. We do not depend on government to tell us what is safe and what is not. That isn’t their job and we wouldn’t trust government to do it right anyway. Government has a vested interest: it wants to keep the economy at a rolling boil. Never take advice from someone trying to sell you something. The US government is always trying to sell you something.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>