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Doesn't really absolve the federal government in any way. The United States has a Federal Emergency Management Agency which historically has stepped up to the p

Doesn't really absolve the federal government in any way. The United States has a Federal Emergency Management Agency which historically has stepped up to the plate during these types of situations. In what way is this case different? There are plenty of cases where states have been trying to follow the approach you suggest and have had their orders seized by the federal government. It seems like it's still quite unclear which approach states are supposed to follow so it seems perfectly reasonable for governors to be pointing fingers where the blame lies. Colorado: https://www.denverpost.com/2020/04/04/coronavirus-colorado-polis-ventilators-fema/ https://www.denverpost.com/2020/04/04/coronavirus-colorado-p... Los Angeles: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-07/hospitals-washington-seize-coronavirus-supplies https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-07/hospitals-... New Jersey: https://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/somerset-county-ordered-35-000-medical-masks-the-federal-government-seized-the-whole-order/article_97ad57a6-004c-53c8-8451-e85a124d35ba.html https://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/somerset... Broader piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/politics/coronavirus-fema-medical-supplies.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/politics/coronavirus-f...

WalterBright 7y ago
If you want the feds to supply masks, they have to get them from somewhere. Furthermore, if you want the feds to supply masks, you'll get them at the discretion of the feds, not local authorities. You're seeing what's wrong with centralized planning of things that don't need to be centralized.
- foogazi 7y ago
  > If you want the feds to supply masks, they have to get them from somewhere. Just like the states, or counties or towns or households... Except the federal government can order private businesses to manufacture whatever it needs, something no governor can do
  - WalterBright 7y ago
    > something no governor can do The idea the governor of a $222 billion budget can't get some masks made is a bit absurd.
    - foogazi 7y ago
      > The idea the governor of a $222 billion budget can’t get some masks is a bit absurd The federal government just passed a $2 trillion stimulus package. And they’re thinking of doing another one. And in addition to the power to print money, it can also order private industries to manufacture masks, tests, vaccines, ventilators, even tp And it still can’t get the job done. There are not enough masks or tests
      - pmart123 7y ago
        The federal government can order ventilators, but you need the part. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-24/ventilator-makers-can-speed-up-but-they-face-shortages-of-parts https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-24/ventilato... It can also order or overpay for the creation of a successful vaccine, but you need data and time to see if it works.
      - WalterBright 7y ago
        > There are not enough masks or tests https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/22/21189881/apple-donating-masks-amazon-bezos-cook-coronavirus https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/22/21189881/apple-donating-m... Maybe Tim Cook should run for Governor. Cook knows how to get stuff done, and he has no legal powers whatsoever compared to the Governor.
  - pmart123 7y ago
    Sure. But how does that spur a car manufacturer that's never made ventilators, yet is trying to make them, move faster? We are going to send an army general to GM and all of the sudden we are going to crank out 60,000 ventilators?
- bjtitus 7y ago
  > You're seeing what's wrong with centralized planning of things that don't need to be centralized Procuring masks on the market sure seemed to work out great for states in the earlier days of this incident: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2020/03/30/i-spent-a-day-in-the-coronavirus-driven-feeding-frenzy-of-n95-mask-sellers-and-buyers-and-this-is-what-i-learned/#7bdda86256d4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2020/03/30/i-spent... https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245501506205421570.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245501506205421570.html We started out with decentralization and now we've switched to something in between. Neither have worked.

WalterBright 7y ago

If you want the feds to supply masks, they have to get them from somewhere. Furthermore, if you want the feds to supply masks, you'll get them at the discretion of the feds, not local authorities. You're seeing what's wrong with centralized planning of things that don't need to be centralized.

foogazi 7y ago
> If you want the feds to supply masks, they have to get them from somewhere. Just like the states, or counties or towns or households... Except the federal government can order private businesses to manufacture whatever it needs, something no governor can do
- WalterBright 7y ago
  > something no governor can do The idea the governor of a $222 billion budget can't get some masks made is a bit absurd.
  - foogazi 7y ago
    > The idea the governor of a $222 billion budget can’t get some masks is a bit absurd The federal government just passed a $2 trillion stimulus package. And they’re thinking of doing another one. And in addition to the power to print money, it can also order private industries to manufacture masks, tests, vaccines, ventilators, even tp And it still can’t get the job done. There are not enough masks or tests
    - pmart123 7y ago
      The federal government can order ventilators, but you need the part. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-24/ventilator-makers-can-speed-up-but-they-face-shortages-of-parts https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-24/ventilato... It can also order or overpay for the creation of a successful vaccine, but you need data and time to see if it works.
    - WalterBright 7y ago
      > There are not enough masks or tests https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/22/21189881/apple-donating-masks-amazon-bezos-cook-coronavirus https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/22/21189881/apple-donating-m... Maybe Tim Cook should run for Governor. Cook knows how to get stuff done, and he has no legal powers whatsoever compared to the Governor.
- pmart123 7y ago
  Sure. But how does that spur a car manufacturer that's never made ventilators, yet is trying to make them, move faster? We are going to send an army general to GM and all of the sudden we are going to crank out 60,000 ventilators?
bjtitus 7y ago
> You're seeing what's wrong with centralized planning of things that don't need to be centralized Procuring masks on the market sure seemed to work out great for states in the earlier days of this incident: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2020/03/30/i-spent-a-day-in-the-coronavirus-driven-feeding-frenzy-of-n95-mask-sellers-and-buyers-and-this-is-what-i-learned/#7bdda86256d4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2020/03/30/i-spent... https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245501506205421570.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245501506205421570.html We started out with decentralization and now we've switched to something in between. Neither have worked.