If you want the feds to supply masks, they have to get them from somewhere. Furt...

bjtitus · on April 10, 2020

> 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...

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245501506205421570.html

We started out with decentralization and now we've switched to something in between. Neither have worked.

foogazi · on April 10, 2020

> 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 · on April 10, 2020

> 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 · on April 10, 2020

> 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

WalterBright · on April 10, 2020

> There are not enough masks or tests

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 · on April 10, 2020

The federal government can order ventilators, but you need the part.

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.

pmart123 · on April 10, 2020

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?