[QUOTE=ZCanadian;3927284]Interesting thing, the DPA.
I'm not that familiar with what was happening down there, but up here companies were falling all over each other to volunteer to change production over to masks, respirators, gowns, face shields. As soon as bars closed down, breweries from micro to some of the nations largest realized that they could keep people on by switching to hand sanitizer, and they did. Car parts makers, recognizing shut-downs would disrupt the supply chain greatly but mass layoffs would cause havoc on the other end of this, switched to making medical devices. Not saying they were efficient at it, but they saw an opportunity to keep people working and do their bit. No legislation required.
It did not hurt that the federal government offered to subsidize payrolls (up to 75% for any size company that could show a covid-related 30%+ drop in revenue from the month a year ago (or the month prior in the case of start-ups or fast growing companies). But that offer came after some big players had already announced they were pivoting for the greater good.
Don't know about you but if I have to go into hospital, I want my respirator to have this logo! :-)
It probably has at least something to do with our American mentality vis-à-vis free market capitalism. Our companies and our govt place the highest premium on shareholder value as defined in 3 month increments. Nothing else matters. Greater good is laughable in this context, if I can’t make profit, then I won’t do it. You don’t see this at the small and mid sized company level but at the big publicly traded Corps, that’s def true. The dpa exists so our representative govt has the ability to temporarily supersede free market so we can get made what needs making in a time of unprecedented national emergency.
Of course, if deep down you believe this mostly much ado about nothing and a political football more than a crisis....
(As stated earlier, all crisis are politicized, hell even WWII was to an extent, at least at first). That still doesn’t not make it a legit crisis.
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