For National Doctors' Day, Forget the Donuts. Can We Get Some Damn Masks?

What this public health crisis demands exceeds whatever corporate charity can deliver. What health care workers need right now is not goodwill, but willpower. We need the president to use the Defense Production Act to its fullest capability.

So far, Trump has used the DPA to force one company (General Motors) to make one product (ventilators). Based on reports, it also sounds like Trump invoked the DPA as a punishment toward GM and its CEO Mary Barra, with whom he has long-standing sexist animosity.

Increasing the production of ventilators is helpful, but it is not enough for Trump to use the DPA as part of his temper tantrums and tweet tirades at automakers. Health care workers need the DPA to be used as a timely part of a comprehensive set of public health strategies to fight the coronavirus. Time is of the essence. The corporate charity described earlier will provide some personal protective equipment in a month at best, and to deliver at scale will take longer. Patients and health care providers fighting the coronavirus do not have that kind of time.

The Defense Production Act is not about nationalizing private industries or punishing them when they displease Trump and his cronies. Rather, the DPA allows the federal government to find and purchase (not take over) materials from private companies.The government then delivers these materials to other companies that have the capabilities to make masks and other PPE, but lack materials.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Just curious.

Why aren't the companies doing this anyway?

a reply to: FyreByrd

Um....

Got a link... an opinion on the subject...

Anything at all that will somehow fit into the guidelines of starting a thread on ATS?

Or is it just another thing that should be in the mudpit, considering the content?

ATS used to be so much better...

~sigh~

a reply to: FyreByrd
Where did this TDS inspired tripe originate from, salon, or maybe vox?

SMH, we should be able to down vote.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: FyreByrd

Just curious.

Why aren't the companies doing this anyway?

Oh, you know....

Trump was a horrible fascistic dictator when he was doing things constitutionally.

But one virus later they are screaming at him to become a dictator.

~shakes head and leaves the thread~

a reply to: Lumenari

Why aren't the companies doing this now?

And what companies aren't doing this?

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: FyreByrd

Just curious.

Why aren't the companies doing this anyway?

Maybe they were accidentally listed as "non-essential" and shut down by mayors and governors?

The facts here are pretty simple. Nearly everything is made overseas and they quit shipping those items to America because they deem them too essential for their own citizens.

Here we are in a time of crisis. We also have companies with factories capable of producing those essentials items to help mitigate the crisis. GM is one of those companies. They're also one of the companies that were bailed out by the American taxpayers in the form of TARP that they never truly paid back.

It's sad that President has to hold GMs feet to the fire to manufacture anything during this crisis and claiming that patients need the protective gear sooner than later is a moot point to those that need it down the road.

Trump is the Coronavirus- orange strain

Can't they have both, masks and Donuts. I like donuts, doctors like donuts, most people like donuts, but preference of the type of donuts varies. Maybe colored or flavored masks would be good. How about edible donut masks.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: FyreByrd

Just curious.

Why aren't the companies doing this anyway?

Good question. Maybe they are waiting for 'demand' to peak. Maybe we don't make them in this country any more. Maybe because they should have been available, in quantity, locally to begin with.

a reply to: FyreByrd

I think when nothing has happened to the point of it impacting supply in a dramatic way, their inventory was simply built around that era of relative peace and general supply and demand. To further slash operating cost, outsourced their capacity to manufacture the basic, low demand items.

All of a sudden half the economy is closed and orders start coming in bulk.

Nope. I stocked up for cleaning the cat pan..
Its all in the word "planning"

originally posted by: Gothmog
Nope. I stocked up for cleaning the cat pan..
Its all in the word "planning"

You bought N95 masks for cleaning the cat litter?!!

That must be some....cat.

originally posted by: clay2 baraka

originally posted by: Gothmog
Nope. I stocked up for cleaning the cat pan..
Its all in the word "planning"

You bought N95 masks for cleaning the cat litter?!!

That must be some....cat.

No mention made in the OP on what types.
Just masks.
I would use N95 if I wanted to , though.

There are masks they are hidden in the same warehouse as the respirators.