Friday 27 November 2020

How few Electoral College votes extra will it take to make Trump president

He is about 40 short so its not impossible. What kind of people get selected for the Electoral College and how strong and/or well off are they. Could Trump's last hope could be to buy the 40 he is missing for a second period as president. 

Now that his core voters where to slow to embbrase his strategy of encouraging voter fraud in the hope enough of them would come forward and cast doubt on the election, emember its a secret vote so you couldn't prove who the fraudulent voters supported, he does seem desperate for any other way of changing the electrion result. Not even swaying from casting doubt over the whole election system if it can gain him the most narcisdistic president USA so far have seen. Have you ever seen any politician in a supposedly democracy that demands so total outspoken admiration of they who surround him at press conferences.

Trouble is the Americans have never been in a situation like this where the sitting president is very wealthy and unscupoulus and have so manny very rich backers from so many also lugubrious sources. Not that he needs them. Haven't his grasroot supporters collected in enough of a fund to pay both 1 or 2 million to each that was supposed to vote Biden but swithces on the day. Not that he needed even that extra money to do it, but he seems to gready to use any of his own if he can avoid it.

Throw in a quick pardon in the deal and many could be persuaded. Plus a pardon for they who persuade them. In all this pardoning thing is a tool with far reaching consequences few could have foreseen. And any impeachement proceedings of Trump himself as a result could easily be held up by the even now 50 Republican Senators plus Pence's double, vote until the 4 years are gone.

Thursday 11 June 2020

1 meter social distancing = no social distancing

Think about it. 1 meter between tables in a restaurant means that every time somebody moves at the neighbouring table or a waiter stands between tables and take your order, there is absolutely no social distancing.
People often measure the distance to others from the middle of themselves to the middle of others. Then 1/3 of the 1 meter is taken by you and another 1/3 by the other person and then you are only left with what is needed to not actually touch each other.

Every bar, restaurant and other venue where people congregate to buy stuff are pushing for the 1 meter limit because they know that that is as close to normal non pandemic times you can get without people actually sitting on top of each other.

Take the example of when you go for a walk along a relatively narrow road you know you have to step out of if a car comes and people your meet are not even making an effort by walking side by side. Think about that and that the average car is about 2 meters wide.

Basically governments that reduce the requirement for social distancing form 2 to 1 meter have given up on the demand and are just setting 1 to give a sheen of complying with scientific advice. And when 1 fall they all fall because no industry body is comparing with where its stricter. They all constantly push for being like where it is more lenient.
In pandemic times one just can't leave the decision making to those whose economic interest is aligned with the more people you can stuff together in a crowded place the better. Or the politicians that are in their pockets.