All The Craziest Things About America Are Being Highlighted By This Virus by caitlinjohnstone

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· @caitlinjohnstone ·
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All The Craziest Things About America Are Being Highlighted By This Virus
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"Corona is a black light and America is a cum-stained hotel room," comedian Megan Amram colorfully <a href="https://twitter.com/meganamram/status/1237440523327045632">tweeted</a> a couple of weeks ago. Her observation has only grown more accurate since.

<strong>The corporate cronyism of America's political system has been highlighted</strong> with a massive kleptocratic <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/26/looting-america-big-corporations-progressives-appalled-senate-unanimously-passes">multitrillion-dollar corporate bailout</a> of which actual Americans are only receiving a tiny fraction. Instead of putting that money toward <a href="https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/pay-people-a-living-wage-to-stay-home-c6250998a1f8">paying people a living wage to stay home</a> during a global pandemic, the <a href="https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1242982837982244864">overwhelming majority</a> of the money is going to corporations while actual human beings receive a paltry $1,200 (which they won't even be getting <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1242923070584688640">until May at the earliest</a>) at a time of <a href="https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1243154264005824512">record-smashing unemployment</a>.

<strong>America's capitalism worship has been highlighted</strong> with <em>Wall Street Journal</em> headline "<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stock-markets-dow-update-3-24-2020-11585012632">Dow Soars More Than 11% In Biggest One-Day Jump Since 1933</a>" running at the exact same time as "<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-long-run-of-american-job-growth-has-ended-11585215000">Record Rise in Unemployment Claims Halts Historic Run of Job Growth -- More than 3 million workers file for jobless benefits as coronavirus hits the economy</a>". Stocks are booming, <a href="https://newslanded.com/2020/03/18/amazon-making-major-profits-amid-the-economic-impact-of-coronavirus-pandemic/">Amazon is surging</a>, and mountains of wealth are being transferred to sprawling megacorporations, while actual human beings are terrified of what the future holds.

<strong>America's joke of a healthcare system is being highlighted</strong> as uninsured COVID-19 patients are <a href="https://time.com/5806312/coronavirus-treatment-cost/">racking up $35,000 medical bills</a> and even <em>insured</em> COVID-19 patients are looking at <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/potential-costs-of-coronavirus-treatment-for-people-with-employer-coverage/">out-of-pocket expenses in excess of $1,300</a>. Combine this with the millions of Americans getting thrown off of employer-provided health insurance and you're looking at a huge number of people who will avoid getting tested and avoid treatment as much as possible. Both heads of America's two-headed one-party system have spent decades forcefully creating this dynamic.

<strong>America's income and wealth inequality is being highlighted</strong> in a nation suffering from all of the above problems while <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/most-americans-dont-have-the-savings-to-cover-a-1000-emergency.html">most Americans were already unable to afford a mere $1,000 emergency expense</a>. A one-time $1,200 payment to a population already stretched that thin guarantees that millions will be plunged into crushing debt and destitution in a nation with a historically unprecedented billionaire class raking in even more unearned wealth.

<strong>The insanity of America's war machine has been highlighted</strong> as awareness grows during a global health emergency that <a href="https://peacesciencedigest.org/when-countries-increase-their-military-budgets-they-decrease-public-health-spending/">government military spending negatively impacts government healthcare spending</a> and the US has the most bloated military budget on the planet. Now <a href="https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/coronavirus-china-us-response/Content?oid=78757637">as journalist Max Blumenthal explains</a> this war machine's escalating hostility toward China is causing Americans to needlessly die of the virus.

<strong>America's fake political system has been highlighted</strong> as the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/03/joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-presidential-campaign">completely vanished for a week</a> and then returned to deliver an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ffa5B6x6PE">embarrassing string of befuddled interviews</a> upon his return, reminding the nation once again that the Democrats are running an <a href="https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/stop-calling-it-a-stutter-here-are-dozens-of-examples-of-bidens-dementia-symptoms-b010c8e6b45c">actual, literal dementia patient</a> for the most powerful elected office in the world. Biden will of course be running against an incoherent reality TV star who <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/16/trumps-coronavirus-guidelines-for-next-15-days-to-slow-pandemic.html">only last week</a> decided that the virus is indeed a real problem which needs to be seriously addressed, and who now already wants to <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/25/trump-sticks-to-easter-reopening-despite-skepticism/">begin rolling back</a> the inadequate measures his administration implemented far too late. The debates between two men who don't understand what they're doing and can't string a sentence together between them will soon be broadcast around the world for all of civilization to behold.

<strong>America's lying mass media are being highlighted</strong> with propagandistic lines that would make Kim Jong Un blush, like <em>The New York Times</em> <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-u-s-now-leads-the-world-in-confirmed-coronavirus-cases/">claiming today</a> that "the American medical system is unsurpassed and its public health system has a reputation as one of the finest in the world". We can safely expect US media to get even more demented as they expands their hysteria-inducing new cold war propaganda campaign against Russia to China as well.

<strong>America's murderous sanctions machine has been highlighted</strong> as the US continues ramping up its economic warfare against Iranian civilians, with <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/covid-19-rages-slaps-sanctions-iranian-individuals-200326145240630.html">thousands already dead</a> and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-pandemic-kill-millions-iran-200317135500255.html">potentially millions to follow</a> due to Tehran's inability to access necessary equipment, medicine and resources during the pandemic. The Trump administration has not eased the sanctions during the outbreak, and <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/488208-us-slaps-new-sanctions-on-iran-amid-renewed-rocket-attacks-in-iraq">has in fact added to them</a>, because killing Iranian civilians has always been the goal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="http://archive.is/P19nn#selection-639.0-647.166">has gone on record</a> to say that the objective is to make Iranian civilians so miserable and desperate that they overthrow their own government.

So basically everything crazy about America is being amplified to absurd caricatures of its own insanity and highlighted for everyone to see. There's a lot of ugliness coming out into the light as a result of this virus, which may end up being one of its few perks for everyone. As they say of both viruses and governments, sunlight is the best disinfectant.

____________________________________

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@beelzebubba ·
nice write-up.  One of the things that I am happy is being exposed is the fact that unnecessary regulations are being temporarily rolled back thereby exposing how unnecessary and counterproductive they were in the first place.   I'm just trying to find silver linings here :)
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