what Robert Reich was saying on twitter before he got blocked

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Robert Reich@RBReich
Big Pharma got language in the coronavirus bill preventing government from limiting their profits on any future vaccines, even though many of the same drug companies are receiving funding from the government to combat the pandemic. Even in a national emergency, Big Pharma wins.

The airline industry shouldn’t see one taxpayer dime unless the bailout includes a ban on stock buybacks & guaranteed long-term protections for workers & consumers. American Airlines alone repurchased more than $12.5B of its shares over the last ten years.The biggest U.S. airlines spent 96% of free cash flow over the last decade to buy back shares of their own stock in order to boost executive bonuses and please wealthy investors. Now, they expect taxpayers to bail them out to the tune of $50 billion. It’s the same old story.

Trump failed today to issue lockdowns as in Italy, France, and Spain, opting instead for voluntary “guidelines.” When it’s about his own ego, he’s an authoritarian. When it’s about the health of Americans, he dares not offend.

The corinavirus bill doesn’t apply to big corporations like McDonalds, which refuse to give all workers paid sick leave. Restaurants that don’t give workers paid sick leave should have to post: SINCE WE DON’T GIVE OUR STAFF PAID SICK LEAVE, THEY MIGHT BE SERVING YOU WHEN SICK.

Elon Musk has convinced county officials that his Tesla factory is an “essential business,” so the lockdown doesn’t apply. Food might be essential, but not Teslas. Subjecting 10,000 workers to this pandemic is shameful.

The German government recently placed an order for 10,000 mechanical ventilators, while China and Italy have placed orders for thousands more.How is the United States preparing for a potential shortage of ventilators? By doing nothing.

Walmart bonuses tied to minimizing the time you take off to care for yourself or a family member with an illness, which is why 88% of Walmart employees report coming to work when sick. Walmart’s 500,000 part-time employees have a 48 hour annual cap on paid time off.