The #Eurowasteland COVID $hitshow And Other Disaster Capitalism Krapp

Alternative worst-title: disaster capitalism in Tex-ass, Pratt & Whitney pulled the market share short stick, and why Germany Can’t Vaccinate faster

Well, here we go, dear worst-reader. Have I got $hits&giggles for you today. First, let’s start with Tex-ass. Has there ever been a better example of the fail-upward-ness of #Americant political conservatism run amok than what is going on during a 1 in 50 year freeze that is, btw, and somewhat ironically, running through the middle of all the red states, north to south? No, you say? You have no clue? Well, trust me when I worst-say, there are plenty of examples. But let’s focus on the best example. Or have you already forgotten Enron? What? Your collective amnesia too real, dear worst-reader?

Everything that is happening during this climate calamity ruckus between of the coasts was setup while one of #Americant’s greatest corporate con-jobs was in its heyday. The only good news out of the Enron debacle was that Ken Lay wasn’t able to do to California what it did to Tex-ass¹. Hence(1), Tex-ass is its own earnergy grid, e.g. it doesn’t share its grid with other states and vice-versa. Which also means, it’s on its own in a crisis like the one it’s experiencing now. Hence(2), I’m trying not to laugh out loud out of respect for those less fortunate who have to suffer under this nonsense. Indeed. There is reaping what you sow.

Next issue to worst-giggle about has to do with planes breaking up in the middle of the air–or maybe not. First, though, let me get this worst-thought out of the way. The most amazing thing about the recent images and videos of an airplane experiencing engine failure mid-flight is that it made it safely to the ground. I mean. Come on, dear worst-reader. Don’t hold this situation up to luck. Someone did something right when designing those engines that such a… let’s call it anomaly… didn’t bring this plane down in pieces. But that’s not the reason I’m on about this issue.

The year 2020 is the first year in my expatriation journey that I did not travel to my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant–in over thirty-five years. I can’t tell you how sad that makes me, especially considering my mother is 78 (but she’s doing fine). With that in mind, you know what I’ve dreaded since last summer? Getting on a tarmac-mothballed airplane that has obviously not been maintained. For don’t you know, dear worst-reader, while working as a pion researcher for a $hitbag but highly successful consulting company oh-so many years ago, one of my beats was to provide consultants in Europe with all-kinds of aviation information. You know, it was at the time when Airbus getting its mojo. Worst-long-story-short, the thing about airliners (as airplanes used to be called) is that their mechanical lifespan is dependent on two relatively mundane factors, which I’m sure most rational non-#MAGA morons can figure out for themselves. That’s right. Maintenance and use. That’s it. It is totally not good that an airliner be mothballed if it has not reached its designated retirement age–and then, suddenly, get back up in the air. If it is mothballed, it is paramount that it be maintained–so that it can safely get back up in the air. And so. Don’t know about you, dear worst-reader. But do you trust these airline companies while they are in a state of perpetual bankruptcy since forevermore, plus Covid, to actually maintain their aircraft while being prematurely mothballed?

With that in mind, let me unequivocally praise—NOT the airline, nor the plane manufacturer, but instead–the maker of an engine that under extreme circumstances did not reach a level of catastrophic destruction that would otherwise have brought down the entire plane by ripping apart the wing. Hats off to ya, Pratt & Whitney!

Now. For a bit of ranting about z’Germans. Get this, dear worst-reader. As my beloved & missed #Americant slowly but surely progresses in its war on COVID via country wide inoculation, the grand corporate state of Germania is lugging around like an old, confused rural Bavarian (#WernerTwertzog) that can’t find his way around a city. But all worst-analogies aside.

In a conversation the other day with Germans, I questioned the reason why Germany was so slow at vaccinating its people–including expat worst-writer–even though the country practically bankrolled the first approved vaccine. Of course, the Germans went on and on either about Tante Merkel’s successes so-far at keeping infections down or about how bad she’s handled it all along. But I said that Germany is making a mistakes by not vaccinating faster which means it also has another, much bigger problem. A problem that is, by-the-buy, two-fold above and beyond Tante Merkel.

Problem 1.

The German government is subsidising somewhere near 80-90% of the entire economic shutdown during Covid. Considering the vastness of the German economy, that’s an amount of money unheard of since… Well, I’m don’t think post WW2 Germany has ever spent that much money before.

Now, keep in mind, according to EU regulation, member states are still required to maintain their deficits to a preset amount². Therefore it doesn’t take much to realise, compared to how the USA is currently mad-spending its way out of the Covid crises by being able to fund vaccinations with huge amounts of mad-dollars, Germany is kinda lollygaggling around as though, well, it were a old Bavarian (#WernerTwertzog) that can’t find his way around a city.

Problem 2.

Germany is the locomotive of #Eurowasteland. All other members not only look to where Germany is going but their attachment is more than just a hitch. That attachment, in fact, is an umbilical. I can’t remember the last time I heard anything in the German press about how other EU members are getting on with their vaccinations. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the information is out there and I’ve just missed it. Still. This causes worst-writer to conclude the following.

Right now, vaccination is a taboo topic in Germany. Reason? Germany cannot vaccinate its Volk too fast on account other EU members would have more ammunition against the locomotive–not unlike the blank-ammunition #Brexit exploited to win their freedom from being the caboose of the Euro train. If, say, the Germans were to begin financing vaccinations like the USA is doing, all hell would break out in Brussels in the name of fairness, privilege and, of course, breaking deficit regulations. Does Germany really want to feed more #Brexit and/or #Euroexit nonsense? I mean. If Tante Merkel as done anything right it has been most certainly maintaining the status quo of German passivity. But on that worst-note, I die-gress.

And there you have it, dear worst-reader. Germany is fcuked #nomatter what it does on account it must never maintain a position of Wir #1. Which also means continued lockdowns and worst-moi continuing to question when can I return home.

Oh well. Such is this worst-life.

Rant on.

-T

Links:

That’s only because California was probably trying to do its own version of Enron. You know, home grown version of it. But, as usual, if ain’t from Hollywood or military or Silicon Valley… ↩︎
Deficit regulation in the EU is one of its great mistakes in worst-writer’s humble opinion. ↩︎

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