The larger picture (yes on swine flu) - Democratic Underground

nadinbrzezinski

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Wed Apr-29-09 09:01 PM
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The larger picture (yes on swine flu)

whether this flu is as lethal as oh even the yearly flu or not, for this post does not matter

We will concentrate not on health care but the economy and political economy

We have some folks round these parts that cannot connect dots, so let me try connect them for them

The US Federal Government is trying (and mark my words they will fail, that horse left the barn a while ago) to change the name from swine flu to H1N1... why the President said H1N1 Flu. No, this is not accidental, the effects on the US pork industry are already significant, Imports from pig products from the US in many places are simply a no-no. Now most folks don't realize this either but pork futures have crashed (or at least gone down significantly) By the way some countries, see S.Korea, are going so far as to fumigate any agricultural goods coming from North America

No it does not mater that ... you cannot get this from eating bacon... this is one of those moments where politics interacts with stoopid and fear and leads to terminal stupidity. You cannot cure stoopid

There's more, we have a pressure to close borders with Mexico.. thankfully the adults are in charge and reminding people that no, that will not be effective at this stage. That does not mean this is not effectively it is not happening... in france and Cuba. Now it may not strike you as significant that flights will stop from some countries to others but economists know there is an effect... and mark my words stoopd and fear are probably more infectious than the H1N1... and leads to quite funny things that would be even more funny if the effects, potentially, could not be serious for the recovery. Free clue, them planes don't carry only passengers.. and they shall include cargo planes too

Of course if we go into the ever so lovely school closures... what happens to the employees that don't have childcare? So you will have people not going to work because they have to take care of kids (and yes this measure makes sense)

Of course there is the already happening effect in Mexico where restaurant workers have lost a lot of income. Think, what if this was your local Denny's? No, not out of the possibility

And even if we didn't get to any of those levels... we are already feeling an economic effect. Just as the Pork growers association. The BBC did... and they are already seeing it... with backlog

Now one more thing.. national single payer health care will NOT stop the rate of infection. Will just allow people in advanced economies to go see the doctor, get tamifly or relenza, and reduce the severity of the flu... which also has economic consequences. It is cheaper to treat at early stages than the Intensive Care Unit, by orders of magnitude!

Wanna bet that our 50 million people who don't have access will NOT go to the doctor until they are so sick they will go to the ER. But hey, having access to a doctor in a national emergency is a bad idea (yes I have read this here... from folks who cannot connect dots or are very selective)

That is all