| Unleash Prosperity Hotline Issue #5 1) Save us, Larry! It was widely reported yesterday that President Trump has approved and will soon announce the formation of a second coronavirus task force, with a mandate to plan for the economic recovery from the virus/lockdown. The task force will reportedly include Steve Mnuchin and our former illustrious colleague Larry Kudlow. In Larry We Trust. (We’ve also suggested our friends Arthur Laffer and Fred Smith be named to the task force. Who could be better?) 2) Urban Transit Spreads Virus…So Let’s Give it More Money There are many preposterous spending provisions in the fiscally reckless $2 trillion “stimulus” bill, but possibly the most absurd and dangerous is the $25 billion for urban mass transit programs. Our friend Randal O’Toole, a leading expert on transportation at the Cato Institute, tells us that study after study has concluded that mass transit is, as one recent report put it, “an effective way of accelerating the spread of infectious diseases.” There is little doubt that the crowded New York subway, the BART system in San Francisco and the “El” in Chicago greatly spread COVID-19. Cities should have shutdown mass transit operations immediately when the virus became known. Instead, we are SUBSIDIZING their remaining open! Certainly essential workers without cars need transportation. But for $25 billion we could subsidize a lot of Uber or Lyft fares for those needing a ride. According to Randal, “phase 4” could be even worse: “House Transportation Committee chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) wants to pass a $760 billion infrastructure bill, with at least $55 billion earmarked for rail projects.” It reminds us of that famous line from Dumb and Dumber: “just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber…” |
 3) Virus mortality forecasts decline as economic misery skyrockets.In the Wall Street Journal, James Freeman points out that while the coronavirus models public health officials have relied on are missing the mark, the economic damage America is facing is very severe and carries its own public health consequences. He ends with a great line: “Do we need to see a surge in U.S. malnutrition cases before governors and mayors will reconsider their shutdown orders? Model that.” Read the whole thing here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/now-they-tell-us-11586450916 and more from Alex Berenson, the former NYT reporter James quotes who has been skewering the models on Twitter, here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-nyt-reporter-challenging-the-coronavirus-narrative 4) Quote of the day: Dr. William Grace, oncologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, NY “Now that we have growing evidence that hydroxychloroquine is working, we should call it ‘the Trump Drug.'” 5) Anti-hero of the Day: Nick Adderley, giving New Meaning To “Easter Egg Hunt” Northamptonshire (UK) Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley told a press conference: “We will not, at this stage, be setting up roadblocks. We will not, at this stage, start to marshal supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it’s a legitimate, necessary item. “But again, be under no illusion, if people do not heed the warnings and the pleas I’m making today, we will start to do that.” After a public outcry, Adderley retreated and tweeted: “I have been clear that we will not be judge and jury on what is an essential item or not, but we may now probe the purpose of the journey.” What a relief. 6) But can they catch foul balls? The Chinese Professional Baseball League begins its 2020 season Saturday. But despite Chinese claims they’ve largely kicked the coronavirus, no spectators will be allowed. So the Rakuten Monkeys team has a novel solution. The spectator seats at the game will be filled with robot mannequins dressed as fans. In addition to making the players feel better, the new “fans” should make the government happy. They are unlikely to chat with each other between innings over how well the Communist Party regime has handled the virus or if it is being truthful with the public. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/04/07/coronavirus-taiwanese-team-use-robots-fans-games-chinese-professional-baseball/2960662001/ Here at home MLB hasn’t announced their plans yet but seems to be honing in on a plan to start the season in July, with no fans and all games played in Arizona’s lovely 100+ degree heat. Here’s how that might work: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/04/08/coronavirus-how-difficult-would-create-mlb-bubble-arizona/2970792001/ 7) Easter Bunny Violates Social Distancing Orders |
 |
