Life

Truman’s attitude has infected current political leaders to the point of madness

AustralianActuary Life

The buck stops here.

President Truman’s sign on his desk. He meant that he was responsible for the decisions and if things went wrong he couldn’t blame anyone else. (What a fantastic film emulsion. I wonder if that photo was shot on the famous Ferrania P30 film? The emulsion is back in production and I have some on order. ISO 80. Classic Italian film look. But, I digress…)

It’s a sentiment that is admirable in times of national emergency. But nearly two years down the track after COVID19 first emerged, there is no longer a national emergency. Or international emergency.

Responsibility for keeping the noses of the public clean should now be handed back to the individual owner of each nose. It is no longer a matter for any politician. Anywhere.

She should have known better

AustralianActuary Life

Katie Hopkins describes herself as a columnist, broadcaster and businesswoman. More commonly, she is described as a colourful media personality. The Australian newspaper reports today that she is in trouble with her latest media contract and also potentially with Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews.

The problem relates to Katie’s behaviour during hotel quarantine on arrival into Australia. As the Oz reports, Katie “admitted to breaking quarantine rules by taunting hotel staff and opening her door naked and without a face mask when her food was being delivered.”

Well, I can see the problem right there. No matter how frustrated you are at being quarantined in a hotel room, the staff are not to blame. It is only civil to treat the staff, doing their jobs, with respect. To be flaunting herself in that state is unkind and possibly distressing to many hotel workers. When opening the door to receive room service you must always be wearing a mask. Katie ought to have known better.

Failing on the job

AustralianActuary Life

The President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Khorshid, has failed one of the fundamental requirements of his role. At this link, he says that the lockdown in Sydney may have to stay in effect until everyone is vaccinated, ie. indefinitely. He says that since there are insufficient vaccine supplies to vaccinate everyone it is imperative people stop talking to each other, being close, breathing and coughing on each other. He made no mention of the fact that 100% vaccination rates will never happen, regardless of supply.

Now, some people may watch that news interview and think that the good doctor is giving considered medical advice. They could be excused for thinking that doctors are the best people to give medical advice. In some very limited circumstances, doctors are the best people to give medical advice. Those circumstances are limited to the treatment of one individual person to the exclusion of all other concerns. For example, it applies when you visit your GP, when your dentist is fixing your teeth, when you are on the operating table in surgery and that’s about it. When the health of the public in general is the subject, medical people are just like you and me – they have opinions but these opinions are no better or worse than anybody else’s opinion. All these medical experts advocating locking up citizens in the face of SARS-CoV-2 have no more authority than you or I do to stand up at that press conference. Thus, politicians hiding behind those medicos are cowardly in pretending a political decision to lock up citizens is actually a medical decision when it is nothing of the sort.

Dr Khorshid failed in his role not for any medical reason. He failed for political reasons. The AMA is a political organisation. Doctors don’t need the AMA to practise medicine. In fact, I believe that a large proportion of the country’s doctors are not even members of it. The AMA exists to lobby Government to advance its own political objectives. All professional organisations have similar objectives. By airing statements that many in the general public will see as variously ridiculous, extreme, laughable, unrealistic etc, he has just damaged the credibility and authority of the AMA. A key function of the role of President is to enhance the standing of the AMA, not detract from it. Can anybody explain how such an interview could enhance the AMA’s standing? I can’t. So, Dr Kharshid, let’s mark that interview as ‘Fail’.

The 2020 US Presidential election

AustralianActuary Economics, Life

The enduring victory is with the Trump voters. It disappointed me that Trump did not win a second term. However, there is much to be pleased about the outcome for those of us who prefer freer markets and smaller Government. The election proved that there is no left wing majority vote in America. It was a relatively tiny number of votes by which Biden succeeded. There was no blue wave, no sweeping green new deal, no momentum, no feeling of a new direction, no change in the Senate numbers. This is not a new beginning as the changing of control of the White House usually signals. For evidence, see the internal infighting that has already broken out with ferocity within the Democrat party. They too know this was not a victory. Biden is to begin his Presidency in the weakest state that any presidency has ever started.

It is worth noting that Trump is challenging the election tally in some states and I expect he won’t give in easily. There is enough suspicion and doubt over the results to make the challenge interesting. How exactly did so many ballot papers get discovered in the middle of the night almost all of which had voted for Biden? In any event, there is enough public awareness about the potential fraud that electorate voting methods will have to be cleaned up and tightened for future elections. Another win for the Trump voters.

This election was not all about removing Trump. It was about the confirmation of the 2016 result. It was about Trump showing the way for the Republican party to capture votes – give the people a genuine alternative approach. Drain the swamp was a message that resonated. For decades, the Republican and Democrat parties looked like each other. Under Obama, that changed as he started dragging the Democrats left and it would have accelerated under a significant Biden victory. The voters put a stop to that. Ever increasing taxes, regulations, wealth redistribution, porous borders, constraints on personal liberties and critical race theory are not as popular as the extremists in the Democratic party thought. Get woke, go broke. The Democrats have just found out what a number of virtue signalling corporations discovered recently.

The socialist state is not coming to America yet. The significance of Donald Trump to American politics, and indeed to centre right parties around the world if they care to take note, will become better understood over time. He may not yet be gone, but his legacy has already begun.