A friend in Germany just wrote about how political correctness has persisted in his country despite the Corona Pandemic. Although Chancellor Angel Merkel spent years responding to critics of her generous welcoming policy toward Muslim migrants by insisting that borders are fluid, she has now sealed those very borders. Apparently German borders are no longer fluid because of the coronavirus, even to fellow-Europeans. But the German administration has kept its once-fluid borders open to migrants from the Third World, although assurances have been given that these prospective “new settlers” will be “tested” to make sure they are not carrying the virus. Not surprisingly, such “testing” will not be available to Frenchmen or Austrians trying to cross into Germany.

Fascism: The Career of... Gottfried, Paul Best Price: $41.28 Buy New $40.07 (as of 03:55 UTC - Details) In the United States, political biases have also been evident in responses to the virus. Republicans are stressing the dire economic consequences of the shutdown and warn about doing irreparable destruction to our material well-being. Republicans have also played down gloomy predictions about the possible spread of the pandemic and note its obviously disproportionate impact on different sections of the country. Sometimes these messages downplay what is still a serious health problem. One might also notice that much of the party’s base consists of the owners of small businesses. Republicans are also trying to win over a working class that is now sitting home and which the Democrats have abandoned in favor of intersectional politics. Still and all, the warnings from economically concerned Republicans seem motivated by something other than partisan opportunism or, as in the German case, exercises in virtue-signaling.

In an interview with Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York two nights ago one heard what has become a characteristically leftist combination of panic and complaints about insufficient action from the Trump administration. DeBlasio begins by telling us that half of the reported Corona cases in the U.S. have come from the New York City area. But this, he maintains, has nothing to do with anything peculiar to New York (for example, that it’s a sanctuary city loaded with illegals in which the residents are densely packed together). The virus will eventually reach the rest of the country and possibly infect many millions of people, with a severity comparable to what has been seen in New York City. DeBlasio also called for a large National Guard presence throughout the country, as a first step toward dealing with a health crisis that may go on for years.

Read the Whole Article

Encounters: My Life wi... Paul Gottfried Best Price: $5.20 Buy New $5.60 (as of 08:10 UTC - Details)

The Best of Paul Gottfried