Re:The N95 mask shortage America can't seem to fix
by throwaway9870 on Wednesday September 23, 2020 @12:26PM
(#24568770)
Rather than wrecking havoc by taking people's land and forcing changes to their production plans, how about just paying the true costs of those changes and everyone doing it because it is in their best interests? How much has the government spent on this virus to date? 3T? It would not be hard to pay the market rate required to make this happen. That is how EVERY other program, defense and space included, have worked for decades.
The mask producer needs a second production line, but the land they need isn't for sale? Boom, now it is.
The mask producer can't meet parking minimums for their new line, or haven't completed an environmental impact assessment? Start building, we'll take care of it.
The mask producer needs a load of elastic, but their elastic supplier is busy making sunglasses holders for a car maker? No problem, go ahead and jump the queue.
Mask factory workers can't get to work, because the busses aren't running, because it's not economic to run them? They are now.
Needless to say, with modern international supply chains this might be less useful than it has been in the past - no way to jump a queue using the DPA if your supplier isn't under its jurisdiction.