A lot of young people (especially those made redundant) won't want to pay for a test - its not really for their benefit. If its not free, they won't take it, and probably won't self-isolate.

And why do you think that bombs haven't been dropped by the US during Trump's four years?

Dated January 28, 2020:
US Bombing of Afghanistan Hits 10-Year High

https://www.courthousenews.com/us-bo...-10-year-high/

"In 2019 alone, the United States dropped 7,423 bombs and missiles on targets in Afghanistan, where the United States has been at war with several militant groups since it invaded the country after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Afghanistan

The figure — published online by U.S. Air Forces Central Command — reveals a dramatic surge in bombings in Afghanistan compared to the peak of President Barack Obama’s “surge” in 2009, when 4,147 bombs were dropped."

Under the Trump administration, US airstrikes are killing more civilians
https://theconversation.com/under-th...ivilians-85154

"According to research from the nonprofit monitoring group Airwars, the first seven months of the Trump administration have already resulted in more civilian deaths than under the entirety of the Obama administration. Airwars reports that under Obama’s leadership, the fight against IS led to approximately 2,300 to 3,400 civilian deaths. Through the first seven months of the Trump administration, they estimate that coalition air strikes have killed between 2,800 and 4,500 civilians.

Researchers also point to another stunning trend – the “frequent killing of entire families in likely coalition airstrikes.” In May, for example, such actions led to the deaths of at least 57 women and 52 children in Iraq and Syria.

The vast increase in civilian deaths is not limited to the anti-IS campaign. In Afghanistan, the U.N. reports a 67 percent increase in civilian deaths from U.S. airstrikes in the first six months of 2017 compared to the first half of 2016. "

I have come across a lot of people objecting to tests on all sorts of grounds .

But the costs have not featured so far .

No my location has nothing to do with your absurd claims that Market Has Crashed Horribly this year. It is at all time high and every American holding stocks is winning.
Your assertions about Americans survival vis a vis my personal market gains makes even less sense.

Taking the test, self-isolation and self-quarantine, don't help you but everybody else, they're a service to society. Hence it's the state who should pay for the cost as well as the loss of income.

If people had wanted this kind of "socialism" in the US, they wouldn't have voted out Bernie in the Primaries.


Personally, I give it two years before Harries is sworn in.

Haven't heard of Biden being on the first batch of those being vaccinated, which is kind of peculiar. With the way he has kept to his basement during the election-campaign, you'd think they'd move him to the front of the line.

Most people probably didn't really vote for him, but voted against Trump.

Rarely has anything good come out of such action.

Biden is expected to get his vaccine this coming week.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/16/p...rus/index.html

I think you can simultaneously vote for Biden because you like Biden AND because you don't like Trump. I know a lot of Dems who like Biden now and liked him when he was VP.

And this is one of those occasions. When you start from such a low base it really does not take much to do better.

I believe Biden and his wife will be vaccinated today. Harris and her husband next week.

I voted for Bernie in the primaries and if most Americans had any sort of education, they would know well that he isn't a socialist.

I guess you completely missed my point on unemployment...

Well let's hope so

He can’t be worse than his predecessor, be it Trump or Pence.

I've added a poll, please let me know if you'd like more options added.

He describes himself as a "democratic socialist". Realistically he'd be putting up taxes left right and centre. For me that qualifies.

Have to say, at least you put your money where your mouth is living in Bern!

True, he does. He sounds to me like the domestic Sozialdemokraten, which still aim to overcome capitalism.

However, increased taxes aren't bad in and of themself, the question is which and how much bang you get for your bucks. The right's mantra that capitalism creates better solutions in all cases is just as moronic and self-serving as the left's claim that socialism (called "democratised economy" by the Swiss SP but that's merely doublespeak for the same thing) is the holy grail.

There's certain things that the state does better - military, police, fire, streetlights, education (at least for the majority of students), bin collection.

There's certain things that don't work best as a pure state provision, but do benefit from significant state involvement - healthcare for instance.

Outside the essentials I'm not sure why the state should get involved. I'm certainly not in favour of 45-60% marginal tax rates like a lot of Europe has. What bang do they actually get for their buck compared to what we get here? Not much...

The reality is that it's redistributed to a bloated public sector staffed with people of limited employability.

All those SP voters here - they don't realise how lucky they are to grow up in free market low tax Switzerland. The opportunities compared to the socialist backwater I grew up in are immense.

Im not sure anywhere on Earth is a communist country or ever could be. Communism is a fairy tale. In reality it's totalitarianism or a liberal market economy or democratic socialist redistributionism.

I spent 3 months in Bergen and that was quite enough. Not for me.

Sorry, I had deleted my comment because I was going to re-phrase it.

Do you think that the governments of countries such as Norway and Sweden can be equated with "totalitarianism?"

Sweden for sure. Norway, a little less so.

Tom