Masks are effective as soon as they’re put on

More from my accumulated browser tabs: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning us that a vaccine is still many months away. However, CDC director Robert Redfield said there is already a solution to allow the nation to return to normality – masks. Mark Sumner of Daily Kos listened to Redfield and reviewed the advantages of masks. * Masks – if worn properly – offer more protection than a vaccine, which might be only 50% effective. * A vaccine is still (maybe 6-9) months away. Masks are available now. * Masks are significantly cheaper than a vaccine, cheap enough they’re not a burden to the poor. * A vaccine takes a while – weeks – to become effective. Masks are effective as soon as they’re put on. * Masks have no risks of adverse reactions. * A federal mask mandate could reduce the spread of the disease to a manageable few hundred new cases a day across the country (the latest check of Michigan data shows it alone has a few hundred new cases a day). Sumner offered another – Americans don’t trust any vaccine the nasty guy might recommend. Alas, there are people, thankfully a much smaller number, who don’t trust masks. Justin Warren tweeted a thread to people who say, “They should be ashamed!” Here’s his key point:

But it feels to me like too many people think shame *is* a consequence, when it isn't. Not really. Shame is due to fear of consequences. If there aren't actually consequences, then the fear is unfounded, and if you realize that, the deterrent is gone.

A study by RAND showed a massive income shift. An excerpt from their report:

A full-time worker whose taxable income is at the median – with half the population making more and half making less – now pulls in about $50,000 a year. Yet had the fruits of the nation’s economic output been shared over the past 45 years as broadly ad they were from the end of World War II until the early 1970s, that worker would instead be making $92,000 to $102,000.

Christopher Mims tweeted in response:

The median worker should be making as much as $102,000 annually—if some $2.5 trillion wasn’t being “reverse distributed” every year away from the working class.

Meteor Blades of Kos quoted Brett Wilkins of Common Dreams who wrote about the study. Much of what Blades quoted is similar to that above. It is the title Wilkins’ article that caught my attention:

'$2.5 Trillion Theft': Study Shows Richest 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From Bottom 90% in Recent Decades

Joan McCarter of Kos reported that Judge Stanley Bastion of the US District Court of eastern Washington has ruled that the damage Louis DeStroy has done to the Postal Service is a politically motivated attack and public harm has already taken place. His order blocked the changes DeStroy has made. I now wonder if DeStroy might simply ignore the judge’s ruling. What are the consequences if he does? Mark Sumner reported William Barr, the head of the department that no longer has anything to do with justice, has declared himself to be king of the department. He declared he has authority to investigate anyone he pleases and dismiss any case he pleases. In particular, he will dismiss cases against someone with power (presumably someone wielding GOP power). His minions should focus efforts on determining (making up) the “political agenda” of black protesters. Hey, Bill, the “political agenda” is rather simple: Don’t shoot. Sumner also reported Barr is instructing federal prosecutors that charges of vandalism and curfew violation against protesters aren’t strong enough. Prosecutors should be going for sedition. It’s definition is conveniently vague, including “to take, seize, or possess by force any property of the United States.” Meaning it could be applied to anyone in Portland, Oregon who set foot on federal property. The penalty for sedition is 20 years. Sumner wrote:

But simply unpacking the sedition charge against people whose weapons were spray paint or tossing back a canister of tear gas may accomplish everything Barr, and Trump, want. Like other actions taken by the DOJ, it shows that this White House is willing to go hugely overboard in prosecution, and it allows Trump to advertise the charges as if they’ve caught some of those phantom antifa militants.

Something soothing to end today. Watch the two minuet video and scroll through the responses.