Fewer Government Agencies State Aid In The Form Of Public: Fill & Download for Free

Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together.—Barney FrankWho is “we” in this question? May I assume it is the progressive we, that is to say, government programs?That we is tearing us apart and has been at least since the English Poor Laws commenced in the 16th century, giving rise to the concept of pauperism, a reference to the disenfranchisement that results from government aid programs.Fast forward to Wilhelmine Germany in the 19th century and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who literally stole Marx’s communism (in its social democratic form that was the [wink, wink] non-revolutionary version) in order, as he put it, “to bribe the people” into loyalty to Kaiser Wilhelm I).Why? How? It was the age-old trick of robbing your enemies to gain allies. His enemies were the liberals who, with their free enterprise, were becoming rich and influential in opposition to monarchy. Worse, the rising standard of living they were creating was earning the people’s loyalty to them and away from the Kaiser. There were more than thirty liberal parties in newly united Germany, and Bismarck saw the Marxian income tax as just the ticket to bring them to heel. At the same time, he saw that the social democrats had no influence, no real leadership—all they had was a program that working class Germans wanted.So, he simply implemented Marx’s program in the name of the Kaiser (making Marx spitting mad) and hired leading social democrats to administer it. Once it was up and running, he outlawed socialist parties. Taking care of the people was costly and justified an income tax. The liberals would have to pay an amount calculated to keep their influence down while making those loyal to the Kaiser (and, naturally, the monarchy itself) better off.This Hohenzollern Hoax became referred to as “modern statecraft” as when both Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson denounced our “relic Constitution” saying it needed to give way to “modern statecraft.” America was in the thick of the Progressive Era.Only, Germany was for the Germans. Progressives, who dominated both parties, wanted America to be for Anglo-Saxon Protestants and not for the “deplorables,” the twenty percent of the population who were black or Hispanic or Catholic or Jewish or Asian. The programs they had in mind for that population had less to do with aid and more to do with eugenics, including sterilization and, of course, the new indoctrination centers for the children copied from the German Volksschule and known here as progressive schools.It wasn’t until progressivism revived under Franklin Roosevelt beginning in 1933 that welfare became an objective of social democrats.* FDR was simply playing the hand he was dealt—the Great Depression. Adhering to the Democratic credo to never let a good crisis go to waste, FDR seized the opportunity to greatly increase the scope of the administrative state that had built out during the Progressive Era.Trouble was, the Supreme Court consisted of liberal Republicans, not progressives. Ever clever, FDR scrapped the customary term “state aid” substituting “welfare benefits,” a term that ought to color aid programs as passing constitutional muster. As we all know from the hosannas that redound to Roosevelt to this day from certain quarters, he was quite successful at taking us a long way down the road to “modern statecraft.”Except, that ended abruptly with Roosevelt’s death and the end of the Second World War. Americans felt that our liberal heritage had defeated the decadent socialisms of Europe (fascism and social democracy) and we soon entered a Cold War with the third, state communism. Other than a few remaining Conservative Democrat New Dealers, there were no visible progressives in Congress. Indeed, the northern and western wings of the Democratic Party turned liberal like the majority of the Republicans, and the two joined in a civil rights push that brought about the demise of the southern Conservative Democrats by 1968.Seeing that handwriting on the wall, Lyndon Johnson, following taking office after John Kennedy’s murder and passage of the Civil Rights Act, immediately pushed his Great Society initiatives, including the War on Poverty. He pitched his initiatives to key southern politicians promising “I’ll have these niggers voting Democrat for two-hundred years,” which I think we have to admit sounds more like he expects pauperism to be the result rather than enfranchisement.Here was the state of poverty at the time.Few know that the Great Depression was not officially over until 1948 (fewer know that FDR’s retrograde Keynesian policies were credited with prolonging the Depression by seven years, UCLA economists calculate). As the economy began to boom in the 50s, as the chart shows, naturally poverty was reduced. Only, shortly after passage of LBJ’s War on Poverty, poverty leveled off. What gives?Poverty did not level off. By the old standard, our poverty rate has been bobbing along just over two percent for some time now. What happened was that after passage of the act, the agency in charge quietly changed the poverty metric to a percentage one rather than the old absolute one. LBJ’s goal was to be able to give out “benefits” to as many as possible (the calculation yields 11 to 15 percent of the population as eligible for benefits). Essentially, Johnson was looking for this old political ploy:Johnson knew the lost Conservative Democrat numbers would have to be replaced for the party to stay viable. He saw the newly enfranchised minorities as the answer. Meanwhile, Kennedy’s brothers, Bobby and Teddy, turning their backs on his liberalism, saw student radicals and a return to progressive politics as the solution.So, here we are. One thing the English Poor Laws revealed—they lasted from the 1530s to the 1940s only to be replaced by the “modern welfare state”—government programs do not disappear no matter how lousy a job everyone agrees they are doing. Bureaucratic inertia is a bitch. Legislators keep funding programs that don’t objectively work at their mission because the real mission is political power and votes.That is why we were chartered with no power granted to government for aid programs. Rather than the public sector, charity was to be the domain of citizens working in the private and civil sectors. Through much of the 1800s, the vibrancy of American private charity was the wonder of the world (read your Tocqueville).There is no compassion in a bureaucracy. We, the real we, should offer aid to not just the poor, but every need we identify and are willing to keep funded (not “fund and forget”). Citizen-to-citizen programs actually can enfranchise. And the wealth that issues from free enterprise is the greatest force for eliminating poverty (as shown in the chart above), when, that is, it is plowed back into productive uses. When it is diverted to politicians’ schemes, it helps politicians, who, like LBJ, would like to keep the poor perpetually in thrall.* The combination of Wilson’s excesses, Prohibition and the fact that German social democrats stayed loyal to Kaiser Wilhelm II throughout the war ended America’s enthusiasm for social democracy until it was revived by FDR as president.

This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.Most definitely.To be honest, I’m not sure how anyone could have not known this, it’s not really breaking news. SIGAR regularly reports on it. (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.) Yes, as the Washington Post points out, it’s often in bureaucratic language and a slew of acronyms but it is reported. The language in the reports and “Lessons Learned” aren’t as harsh as the interviews or the article but the same conclusions can be drawn.As much as some of the data may have been skewed to fulfill the oh-so American obsession with enemy body counts as a benchmark for success, almost everything else has been available to the public. WaPo simply obtained mostly unredacted interviews that were behind the reports. An impressive legal feat and it provides transparency behind the documents but it is certainly not groundbreaking.This was a failure of the American public as much as it was an attempt by government officials to obfuscate the truth. Our desire for a quick fix, love of soundbites, and our collective inability to seek the facts on our own made it easy for them to do so.Well, with that semi-rant out of the way let’s dive in. I’ll mostly be using SIGAR’s website for all of the following examples instead of WaPo 1.) To demonstrate this information has long been available 2.) None of the WaPo acquired documents are searchable or downloadable PDFs. 3.) The documents are behind a paywall and not everyone may have access to their links. (The last two points are quite irksome, especially considering how they are so allegedly vital to the American public. They really couldn’t make an exception?)Massive waste?Procurement of 20 G222 Aircraft (multiple products, including SIGAR15-02-SP): We found that DOD spent $486 million to procure 20 G222 aircraft for the Afghan Air Force which did not meet operational requirements. The planes were barely flown and sixteen of them were sold and scrapped in Afghanistan for approximately 6 cents a pound, which came to a total of $32,000 re-paid to the U.S. government.Do you want to know why only sixteen of them were scrapped? The other four didn’t even end up in Afghanistan, they were kept in Germany.[1][1][1][1] $486 million down the drain and it didn’t even do anything. This also demonstrates incompetence and the lack of discipline within the Afghan military. If that’s not waste, I don’t know what is.That just one of the examples of waste that was worth over $100 million.From 2008 to December 2017 SIGAR conducted wide-ranging audits and investigations on $52.7 billion of the $126 billion in aid given to Afghanistan.In sum, SIGAR has identified up to $15.5 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse, and failed whole-of-government reconstruction efforts (or 29 percent of the $52.7 billion we examined). We used professional judgment to apply the definitions of waste, fraud, and abuse developed by the U.S. Government Accountability Office to SIGAR’s published audits, inspections, special projects, and closed investigative cases. Our review of those products identified 643 instances of waste, fraud, and abuse valued between $2.2 billion and $3.5 billion of the reconstruction dollars we examined. In addition, SIGAR found $12 billion spent on two whole-of-government reconstruction efforts that appear to have failed and resulted in wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars.A third of the $52.7 billion ended up being for nothing. The money either failed its purpose, which to a certain point is forgivable (failure happens), simply wasn’t used, resulted in fraud, or was otherwise abused. If we apply this 1/3rd rate to the total $126 the result is $42 billion lost. While that’s just an assumption it is not an unwarranted one.99% of the $2.2-$3.5 billion lost was due to waste. (This doesn’t include the failure defined as waste.) The types of waste are broken down as follows:Some of the high-profile waste is even due to our own ineptitude:Closed Investigation related to Contractor Overbilling: Our investigation into wire fraud, false claims, and false statements found that a contractor had overbilled the U.S. government by more than $129 million.No one noticed $129 million in extra costs until SIGAR did an investigation? That’s our fault. (Not that it’s the first time the American government has been massively overbilled.)Waste is rampant in Afghanistan. As I said earlier, some of the waste is considered so because it failed to live up to expectations but much of it simply isn’t used at all or withheld.Corruption is also a huge issue and the Afghan government/justice system seems to have little interest in changing that.Capacity issues within anti-corruption agencies, such as the MCTF, caused anti-corruption cases to be remanded for further investigation. Between July and December 2018, ACJC judges returned 41 out of 47 cases brought before them for additional investigation. The ACJC’s Chief Prosecutor stated that the judges rejected the 41 cases without a clear reason or justification, apart from stating that there were “gaps” or “errors” in the information provided.[2][2][2][2](Major Crimes Task Force. Anti-Corruption Justice Center.) The judges do not have the will or courage to preside over many of these cases due to their high-profile nature and the wealth of some of the perpetrators. Quite a few of them also have tribal relations to the people involved or are blatantly corrupt in the sense of taking bribes.Part of this also stems from the fact that judges and prosecutors alike aren’t well-paid, with some making as little as $50 (US) per month.[3][3][3][3] While this pay rate has been increasing in recent years the relationship formed with the person bribing them doesn’t simply vanish into thin air. It should be noted that pay increases happened under the Taliban regime but all it resulted in was more corruption and higher bribe demands by the judges. “Why would I take a $200 bribe when I make $500?” It’s a cycle, with bribery comes extortion.It is demonstrable that high-profile Afghans are less liable to be prosecuted, much less investigated, and even less likely to be summoned to court or arrested:The AGO stated that as of April 2019, of the 127 high profile warrants and summonses, the Afghan government executed only 14 of the 48 warrants, and only 41 of the 79 summonses resulted in individuals appearing before the ACJC.(Attorney General’s Office.)The Afghan government just doesn’t care enough and several of these instances are certainly due to payoffs.That same report claims that Afghanistan has been meeting benchmarks set to decrease corruption but some of them are so damnably American that it demonstrates our collective lack of understanding of Afghanistan.“Anti-corruption teaching materials to be added in the national army curriculum.” Met June 2019.A few classes taught on corruption. That’s like saying D.A.R.E stopped kids from doing drugs.“Publish all anti-corruption court decisions, except those decisions which are stated not to be published in the law.” Met December 2018.The literacy rate in Afghanistan is ~40% and 10% of the country has reliable internet access. I’m sure you can do the math on how that will turn out.“Public advertising and competitive selection for all positions.” Met December 2017.We have the same thing in America. What do government agencies and companies do now? Post the job listing and pick the person they wanted to promote in the first place. Do you think it will be any better in a corrupt environment with rampant nepotism and tribalism? Please.Which in turn brings us to strategic failure.Americans, both as individuals and as a whole have no real understanding of Afghanistan. We could never truly “win” because we constantly seek to impose American policies and values on the Afghans but they never hold. The country is tribal in nature, there is no true overarching sense of nationalism. The average people in isolated areas don’t care who is in charge of the government.Some proposals are just so utterly asinine that it demonstrates a lack of common sense when it comes to basic human nature. For example, many Afghans felt that fewer young men would join the Taliban if they were married. The problem is Afghan weddings are often expensive affairs, many of the men are poor and cannot afford to pay for the wedding, much less the other costs associated with marriage. One of the proposed, though not implemented, ideas was to give out grants to help pay for the weddings.[4][4][4][4]Take a moment to consider that and the possible implications.The place is massively corrupt, not all that money is going to arrive.Increased rates of child marriages.Increased rates of arranged marriages, which, for the most part, don’t really take the consent of the bride into account.A man who is in the Taliban will just pocket that money and go buy supplies.Daft. An utter lack of common sense and forethought was involved when pondering that idea. But it was supported by 82% of Afghan men surveyed when presented with the proposal, I wonder why.We went into the country with no real long-term plan other than “Throw money at the problem”, as is evident so far in this answer. Yes, we ousted the Taliban and mostly destroyed Al-Qaeda but we had nothing in the way of a comprehensive plan for occupation or dealing with an insurgency.This was our “solution” from the start. A memo sent out to numerous officials in the DoD, including Secretary Rumsfeld, stated:First, I would give the Northern Alliance a big wad of cash so that they can buy off a chunk of the Taliban army before winter.[5][5][5][5](That same memo also says, “We’ll win-- if we all hang in until it’s over over there”, which in and of itself shows a lack of understanding when it comes to insurgency.)Well, we did just that with members of the CIA inserting into Afghanistan with $3 million.[6][6][6][6] To “buy off a chunk of the Taliban”. What happened when we stopped paying the bills? They just went back to the other side. This happened while I was in Afghanistan too, most of the Local and National Police were former Taliban, we simply paid better at the time. Half the people who shot at me were cops.If you can buy someone’s loyalty with money, someone else can do the same to them. Or they’ll say, “I’m with you”, take that money but still be a member of the Taliban and take their pay as well. They can raise their right hand and swear allegiance until they’re blue in the face but it’s just words, not a magical spell.Sure we invested in infrastructure, schools, power plants, and the like but the “Waste” part of this answer shows how effective that was. Americans do not understand that money doesn’t always solve the problem. If the money isn’t used properly, is abused, or isn’t used at all it doesn’t mean jack. That money is the cause of more corruption, not the solution.So instead of directly informing the public about the failures of money to solve the insurgency, the government decided to push the “Body Count” narrative as a metric of success. We did the same thing in Vietnam, we killed a lot of enemy combatants, “10:1” kill ratios and so on.But at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how many we kill. As long as there are just enough survivors to recruit more followers and some cash flow it doesn’t mean anything.The Afghan military is corrupt, inept, incompetent, unmotivated, and undisciplined.The individual soldiers often have no respect for superiors and will follow whoever is the head of their “clique”. Drug use is constant and many of them are high while operating. They are constantly “losing” gear, uniforms, and weapons that all invariably end up in the hands of the Taliban. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan Army weapons, most supplied by the United States, have gone missing or are otherwise unaccounted for.[7][7][7][7]Some of them sexually assault locals, oftentimes the victims are children.[8][8][8][8] That is not the way to win over any locals, it turns them against the Afghan military and is a potent recruiting tool for the Taliban. If someone sexually assaulted your son you’d want to kill him.Many of them are just in it for a steady paycheck, they don’t care about “the country”. Yes, it is good that they are employed, fed, and have shelter, which might prevent them from joining the Taliban instead, but their commitment is sorely lacking.They have no interest in training. They will often refuse to go outside the wire or even conduct routine maintenance of their equipment. When confronted, even if by inferior forces, their performance is usually unsatisfactory, to say the least.I’ve met, worked with, and lived beside plenty of people in the Afghan National Army who were good at their jobs and truly wanted to make a difference but they are the exception, by far.So yes, I agree with what the Washington Post published. On. Every. Single. Point. They are right. I already believed and knew most of what they wrote was true and much of the substance behind what they wrote was publicly available but it is admirable that they would really put a microscope on the people behind the scenes. Not to mention bringing this into the mainstream. With that said, I highly doubt any form of accountability will happen to those in the government as a result. They already had access to these documents, much more so than what is online at SIGAR. They most assuredly knew, especially seeing as SIGAR briefs Congressional committees. There will be some political fanfare, fingerpointing, and flag-waving the next few days/weeks but once the public at large has found interest in some other thing it will be right back to the status quo.Footnotes[1] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-18-60-SP.pdf[1] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-18-60-SP.pdf[1] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-18-60-SP.pdf[1] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-18-60-SP.pdf[2] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-20-06-AR.pdf[2] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-20-06-AR.pdf[2] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-20-06-AR.pdf[2] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-20-06-AR.pdf[3] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42413120.pdf[3] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42413120.pdf[3] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42413120.pdf[3] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42413120.pdf[4] https://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/moshtarak1.pdf[4] https://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/moshtarak1.pdf[4] https://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/moshtarak1.pdf[4] https://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/moshtarak1.pdf[5] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4357755/11-L-0559-First-Release-Bates-1-912.pdf[5] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4357755/11-L-0559-First-Release-Bates-1-912.pdf[5] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4357755/11-L-0559-First-Release-Bates-1-912.pdf[5] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4357755/11-L-0559-First-Release-Bates-1-912.pdf[6] Special forces and horses[6] Special forces and horses[6] Special forces and horses[6] Special forces and horses[7] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-14-84-AR.pdf[7] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-14-84-AR.pdf[7] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-14-84-AR.pdf[7] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-14-84-AR.pdf[8] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR%2017-47-IP.pdf[8] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR%2017-47-IP.pdf[8] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR%2017-47-IP.pdf[8] https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR%2017-47-IP.pdf

Well? Let’s see.This is a better question than a lot of questions I’ve read because instead of pointing and complaining about what has been or has not been done, it examines what could have been.We can look at what has happened in the US, and argue, or we can compare it to what has happened in South Korea, and make a comparison between one country which took this seriously from the start, and another which … well… didn’t.One more thing. Yes, I know the United States has a larger population than South Korea’s. Every time I talk about numbers in South Korea, I’m going to then multiply those numbers by 6.3 and show you the “US population equivalent.”Looking at today, in order to account for the larger population, the comparison is 793K cases and 42.5K deaths in the US vs 68K cases and 1,506 deaths in a South Korea, 6.355 times as populous. Make sense?Let’s get started.The United StatesThe United States in 2018 and 2019 slashed more than 2/3 of its staff at the Beijing office of the CDC as part of a larger pullback of US-funded health and science experts on the ground in China. (Exclusive: U.S. slashed CDC staff inside China prior to coronavirus outbreak.)On May 10, 2018, Trump Fired Rear Adm. R.Timothy Zeimer, the administration’s senior director for Global Health Security and biodefense, the official responsible for leading US Response in the event of a Pandemic and the global health security team he oversaw. — Note: The date on that linked article is May 10, 2018, so you understand it’s not a criticism in hindsight. That article was saying “WTF” a year and a half before this virus first showed up in Wuhan.ChinaOn Dec 31, 2019, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. As of January 3rd, a total of 44 patients with pneumonia, - 33 stable, 11 severely ill- were reported to the WHO by the national authorities in China. On January 5th, the WHO released this statement: Pneumonia of unknown cause – ChinaOn January 7, Chinese authorities confirmed that the virus is a novel coronavirus. The WHO initially named it 2019-nCOV.On January 10, the WHO issued a package of technical guidance to all countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases based on what was known at the time.On January 11, Chinese authorities acknowledged that a 61-year-old man, exposed to the virus at the seafood market in Wuhan, had died from respiratory failure caused by severe pneumonia on January 9.On January 12, China publicly shared the genetic sequence of COVID-19.On January 13, officials confirmed a case of COVID-19 in Thailand, the first recorded case outside of China.South KoreaOn January 3 - Based on information shared between the South Korean CDC Chinese liaison office and the Chinese Government, South Korea began enhanced Quarantine and screening measures for individuals entering from Wuhan. (This is why it’s a good idea to have a fully staffed office in China.)On January 20, the first case of COVID-19 was detected during a screening at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. The Republic of Korea Government updated its infectious disease Alert National Crisis Management System from Blue to Yellow. News & Welfare Services > Press Release View ContentOn January 21, all individuals traveling to Korea within 14 days of visiting Wuhan were required to submit a health Questionaire and report fever or respiratory symptoms to a Quarantine officer.The United StatesOn January 21, US Officials in Washington State confirmed the first Case on US soil, one day after the first case was detected in South Korea.On January 22 - Asked by a CNBC reporter if there were any worries about a potential pandemic, Trump replied: “No. Not at all. And-- we’re-- we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s—going to be just fine.”On January 24 - Trump praised China for its efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in a tweet: Donald J. Trump on Twitter"China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!"South KoreaOn January 27, The South Korean government (to make it easier on my wrists, I will begin using “ROK” for “Republic of Korea”) changed its infectious disease alert category from yellow to orange. South Korean health officials convened representatives from over 20 medical companies at a train station in Seoul to discuss the urgency of an effective test and to guarantee expedited regulatory approval. Special Report: How Korea trounced U.S. in race to test people for coronavirusOn January 28, ROK Ministry of Health and Welfare announced full inspections for all Koreans and foreigners who had entered Korea from Wuhan in the previous 14 days. The KCDC expanded it’s case definition of contaminated areas to include all of Mainland China.On January 29, The KCDC and the National Health Insurance Service opened 1339 Call Centers as an expansion of resources available to the Public to handle an increased number of consultation calls. The KCDC recommended that anyone presenting signs of fever or respiratory symptoms after visiting the Hubei provinces should consult a health facility or the call center, and avoid being outdoors.The United StatesJanuary 27 - Joe Biden wrote an editorial for wide publication. In it he warned Americans about what was coming, pointed out the problems with the Administration's response to that point and laid out how he would have dealt with it differently. Joe Biden: Trump is worst possible leader to deal with coronavirus outbreakOn January 29 - The White House announced a task force that would help monitor and contain the spread of the virus and provide Americans with accurate and up to date health and Travel Information.On January 30 - First case of person-to-person transmission of Wuhan virus in the US confirmed At an Iowa Campaign rally, Trump talked about the US partnering with China to control the disease."We only have five people. Hopefully, everything's going to be great. They have somewhat of a problem, but hopefully, it's all going to be great. But we're working with China, just so you know, and other countries very, very closely. So it doesn't get out of hand."That same day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as "public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of novel coronavirus."On January 31 - The Trump Administration announced it would deny entry to foreign nationals who had traveled to China in the last 14 Days. The ban, which Trump continues to call a “very strong ban” does not include anyone but non-US Citizens or residents or their families coming from China. If you are a permanent US resident or even just a family member of a permanent resident, even if you have been in Wuhan for the last month, you are free to return to the US. The same people would have been sent through an entirely separate Airport terminal in Korea, immediately screened for symptoms, tested for the virus and required to self quarantine for a minimum of 2 weeks. Here, no checks are made on your health, no restrictions placed on your movement. The “very strong ban” only blocks foreigners from entering the country.South KoreaOn January 30 - Approximately 250 people from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of National Defense and the Korean National Police Agency were stationed at Incheon International Airport's quarantine checkpoints.The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the Epedimic Prevention Budget fo 20.8 BillionKRW ($17M USD) would be swiftly executed to “ensure preemptive epidemic prevention.” The Ministry also announced that ROK would be sending chartered flights to Wuhan and surrounding areas to bring Korean citizens back home.On January 31 - The first chartered plane From Wuhan returned 368 people to Korea. 2 tested positive for the virus. Korean pharmacies were given the ability to check patients’ travel histories through the National health care system’s Patient Status Checking System.On February 1 - As the second chartered flight landed, the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency began supplying 720,000 masks to workplaces that may be more vulnerable to infectious diseases, including construction, manufacturing and the service industries.On February 2 - The Ministry of Health and Welfare required anyone who had been in contact with patients who had tested Positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate for 14 days, and required all travelers from China in the past 13 days who were symptomatic to undergo diagnostic exams. All travellers from China were directed to a separate arrival hall at Incheon International Airport and were required to submit their domestic addresses and contact numbers. Restrictions were placed on Visa issuance. All foreigners from Hubei province were denied entry.The United StatesOn February 2 - Trump’s executive order banning anyone who has been in China in the past 14 days went into effect. It excluded US residents and their families or spouses of US residents or citizens. It was Superbowl Sunday. Trump was interviewed by Sean Hannity, and when asked says "We pretty much shut it down coming in from China."South KoreaOn February 3 - The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced it would spend 4.8 billion KRW on emergency aid. The Ministry of Health and Welfare released “Guidelines on the Operation of Group Facilities and Facilities Frequented by Large Groups of People.” Social welfare facilities including daycare centers, senior care facilities and disability facilities were directed to temporarily close if they were informed of any occupants or visitors who tested positive for COVID-19 or were in contact with individuals who tested positive.On February 4 - The ROK Government announced the approval of test kits manufactured by KoGene Biotech Co LTD. It was a risky move, the tests had only been briskly vetted, but they circled back later to spot check effectiveness. All foreigners who had been in Hubei in the last 14 days were banned from entering Korea until further notice. Special screening was added to immigration procedures requiring the rise of a self-diagnosis mobile app.On February 7 - A newly developed test kit capable of producing results in 6 hours was made available at 50 health facilities. Private health care providers and city and Province level public health and environmental research institutes were designated as additional testing facilities. the daily diagnostic test supply was increased from 200 to 3000. The number of screening clinics was increased to 556, up from 288 set up by January 28.The United StatesOn February 10 - Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Manchester NH."Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. I hope that's true. But we're doing great in our country. China, I spoke with President Xi, and they're working very, very hard. And I think it's going to all work out fine."That same day, The Royal Caribbean ship “Anthem of the Seas,” set sail from Bayonne, New Jersey after a coronavirus scare had kept it docked and passengers waiting for days.On February 13 - In an interview with Geraldo Rivera, Trump downplayed the threat of the coming pandemic:"In our country, we only have, basically, 12 cases, and most of those people are recovering and some cases fully recovered. So it's actually less."South KoreaOn February 12 - Seegene Inc becomes the second South Korean company to receive government approval for its test kits. A Self Diagnosis Mobile App, allowing users to monitor health and access information such as follow up action and clinic locations became available to the public. The KCDC announced stricter quarantine screening measures for travelers from Hong Kong and Macao. A third chartered flight brought 147 more people home to Korea from Wuhan.On February 13 - The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would partner with companies producing test kits and private testing institutions to increase test kit supply and daily diagnostic test capacity to 10,000 tests within the coming weeks.South KoreaOn February 16 - Daily testing limit was increased to 5000.On February 18 - A new COVID-19 patient was confirmed, a member of the Shincheonji Church in Daegu City known as “Patient 31” became known as a “super spreader.” A massive spike in patients came over the next few days. The patient had never traveled abroad. COVID-19 was now seeing community spread in Daegu.On February 19 - The KCDC and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) dispatched a task force to Daegu to implement disease control measures with the local government.On February 20 - The first death related to COVID-19 was recorded in South Korea.February 23 - ROK Government increased the Infectious Disease Alert from Orange to Red. The MOHW requested all citizens of Daegu to voluntarily self-quarantine for at least two weeks and anyone displaying symptoms to be tested as soon as possible. They also launched a “Public Reassurance Hospital Program” which separated respiratory patients from non, and allowed patients to consult physicians and receive prescriptions virtually. Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital began operating the first Drive Through Testing Checkpoint.The United StatesOn February 24 - Trump tweeted:"The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!"On February 26 - CDC officials said that a California patient being treated for novel coronavirus was the first US case of unknown origin. The patient did not have any travel history to infected areas nor exposure to another known patient, and was the first possible US case of "community spread." Trump placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the US Government response to the outbreak. In a news conference he said:"When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done."60 people in the United States were infected.South KoreaOn February 26 - Daegu officials announced that every member of the Shincheonji Church where “Patient 31” was a member would be tested whether or not they were displaying symptoms. Goyang City began operating a drive through Testing Station, the first such station operated by a local government. The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced 51.3 B KRW (About $42M) in aid to 17 cities including about $8M to DaeguOn February 28 - Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that the rent cost for small and medium enterprises would be reduced by 20–35% for the next 6 months. The KCDC began collecting chronological epidemiological data from investigations and quarantine related measures KCDC. South Korea’s political candidates halted political campaigning for the April elections and moved all campaigning efforts to Social Media and other platforms.On February 29 - South Korea hit its peak in daily new cases with 909. The equivalent in the US would have been 5,777. South Korea: COVID-19 daily new cases 2020 | Statista The KCDC advised all ROK citizens to maintain personal hygiene and practice “Social Distancing” until early March.The United StatesOn February 29 - A state health official announced a patient infected with COVID-19 in Washington State had died, the first death due to the Virus in the US. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the outbreak.On March 1 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a Public Health Emergency in Florida. Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Utah, and Oregon follow suit over the course of the next few days.On March 3 - The Fed cut interest rates by half a percentage point in an effort to jolt the economy.On March 4 - The CDC removed earlier restrictions that limited COVID-19 testing of the general public to people in the hospital. According to the CDC, clinicians should now "use their judgment to determine if a patient has signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and whether the patient should be tested."On March 5 - In a Fox News town hall, Trump said:"It's going to all work out. Everybody has to be calm. It's all going to work out."South KoreaOn March 5 - ROK Government announced it would buy 80% of the national mask supply starting March 6, and implement a 5-day rotation allowing only 2 masks to be purchased per person.On March 7 - ROK Government announced a GPS-based app to enforce self-quarantine measures. The app monitors the locations of individuals who are quarantined and sets off an alarm if they leave their designated quarantine location.On March 9 - Special immigration measures that previously applied to Korean citizens and foreigners from China were expanded to include Japan.On March 10 - Deagu officials announced they had tested almost all 10,000 members of the church in the immediate area and that 40% had tested positive. The Ministry of Education postponed the start of the new school year until March 23.The United StatesOn March 10 - In a meeting with Republican senators at the U.S. Capitol, Trump said:"This was unexpected. ... And it hit the world. And we're prepared, and we're doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away."On March 11 - Trump in an Oval Office address: "The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low." The same day, the WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Trump announced he was restricting travel from Europe to the US for 30 days in an attempt to slow the virus. The ban applied only to foreign nationals. US Citizens and permanent residents would be screened before entering the country.On March 13 - Trump declared a national emergency to free up $50 billion in federal resources.South KoreaOn March 15 - Special immigration procedures were expanded to travelers from most of Europe and the Middle East.On March 16 - Travelers who visited Europe prior to entry were instructed to minimize movement, adhere to personal hygiene measures and keep watch for fever or respiratory symptoms for the next 14 days.On March 17 - The ROK Government declared Daegu city, Gyeongsan City, Cheongdo-Gun and Bonghwa-Gun as special disaster areas due to the high number of cases in the area. The MOHW postponed reopening child care centers to April 5. The Ministry of Education delayed school openings to April as well. The NEC suspended election-related affairs in Wuhan, China, meaning South Korean citizens in the Wuhan area would be unable to vote.On March 18 - The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced an additional 51.9B KRW (about $42M) in aid would be provided to 10 cities. The KCDC advised postponing or canceling all non-urgent International travel.On March 19 - Special Immigration procedures were expanded to everyone entering Korea.The United StatesOn March 16 - At a press briefing, Trump issued orders to control the spread of the virus in the US."My administration is recommending that all Americans, including the young and healthy, work to engage in schooling from home when possible. Avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people. Avoid discretionary travel. And avoid eating and drinking at bars, restaurants, and public food courts. If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now, we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus. And we're going to have a big celebration all together. With several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly."On March 17 - Trump told reporters:"This is a pandemic. ... I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic."On March 18 - Congress passed a small coronavirus relief package and Trump signed it into law. It included provisions for Free testing for COVID-19 and paid emergency leave.South KoreaOn March 22 - The KCDC announced all inbound travelers from Europe would be tested for COVID-19. Korean citizens and foreigners planning for long-term stays were asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, and foreigners planning for short-term stays were asked to remain under active monitoring.On March 23 - the KCDC advised all individuals in the ROK to observe an “Enhanced Social Distancing Campaign” through April 5 by staying home other than “going to work, visiting a health care provider or purchasing necessities.”On March 24 - The KCDC expanded its entry testing program. Korean citizens who were asymptomatic would be required to self-quarantine at home and get tested at their local public health center within three days of arrival. Foreigners would be tested and isolated at quarantine facilities. Individuals planning for long-term stays who tested negative were required to self-quarantine at their domestic address for 14 days.On March 25 - The KCDC announced all travelers arriving from the US would be tested for COVID 19 at the airport. Individuals who tested positive would be transferred to a hospital or "Life Treatment Center," while Korean citizens and foreigners with a domestic address who were asymptomatic and tested negative would be required to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. Foreigners planning for short-term stays without a domestic address would be tested at a facility, and individuals who test negative would be granted entry under "enhanced active monitoring."The United StatesOn March 24 - Trump said:"Easter is a very special day for me. And I see it sort of in that timeline that I'm thinking about. And I say, wouldn't it be great to have all of the churches full?"On March 25 - Congress and the White House agreed on a massive $2 Trillion economic stimulus package to offset the economic damage of the coronavirus.On March 27 - Trump signed the stimulus package into law.South KoreaMarch 28 - The number of Recovered COVID-19 patients in South Korea surpassed the number of patients in Quarantine or Isolated Treatment. South Korea had effectively flattened the curve.Cases in the US were already double Korea’s US Equivalent number. Even when Korea’s numbers were multiplied by 6.3 to account for the difference in population, twice as many people had died, and it was only Mar 28.It has been 23 days since South Korea’s intensive testing and aggressive quarantining policies flattened their curve.In that time, 1,205 more people in South Korea have been diagnosed and 93 more people have died.In that same time, 670,306 people in the US have fallen ill, and 40,294 have died.In case you missed this link before, hit it now: Special Report: How Korea trounced U.S. in race to test people for coronavirus.Read this timeline and tell me again “No one could have done better.”Horseshit. I just showed you that it WAS done better.To the tune of 41008 fewer people DEAD. And we’re still climbing. Here’s what our numbers look like since South Korea flattened their curve:Look at that and ask your question again. Did Trump fail on coronavirus?Look again and see something that should scare the shit out of you. Those numbers are still going UP.Does that look like anyone is doing a good job?Because it scares the shit out of me.