That’s not what’s happening here. He’s saying that we need to save the economy, not people. That’s just full on eugenics bullshit dressed up as common sense. it’s always dangerous for people in power to promote the idea that some of us are expendable.
He can just fuck right off, championing the idea that some people need to die so that the stock market can stay afloat. Fuck that.
So the government should do something about that, not bail out billionaires. This isn’t hard.
My grandfather didn’t wring his hands over whether or not shooting nazis was the right thing to do. When people are putting others in danger, you stop them from doing so. That’s the right thing to do.
But he would not, as he’s a professional. I’m sure he’s dreamed of it, tho.
Oh, I know that graveyard. This is the new plot right next to the older “Died for Big Oil” plot, right next to the “Died for a second term of Prez” section.
The weird thing is there IS a way to have your cake and eat it too. Or there would have been, 6-12 months ago. What you do is prepare for disasters like this ahead of time, so you’re ready to leap into action when something comes up. Much like Korea did.
You generously fund infectious disease research and response agencies such as the CDC. You maintain proper stockpiles of medical equipment, medicines and PPE. You ensure that adequately sized medical facilities exist in every community, and have readiness plans and drills. Most importantly, you put scientific and medical experts in charge of all of that, and listen to their advice. Simple.
So where were all these Very Rational Big-Brained Long Term Thinkers a couple of years ago when science budgets and pandemic preparedness were getting slashed to the bone, with political flunkies appointed to oversee the flayed corpses of vital government functions?
I can’t wait until we get to see these people reacting to more and more climate change disasters. Not like anybody can see those coming or anything.
I mean, there is, indeed a point where this kind of decision is needed. In a way, we make that decision all the time - it’s always safer to stay at home than go work just about any job. The problem is that we’re so far from complete collapse at this point that seriously entertaining this is a level of callous that borders on lunacy.
At a certain point that sort of cold decision is needed, but it should be after all other options are exhausted, not as a first consideration, after only a week or two of lockdown. There’s so many other options that can be tried first - many of which are already being implemented - that it takes a completely narcissistic sociopath to jump to this point. Distance learning/working, curbside pickup / at-home deliveries, etc. are (at least at a mass scale) in their infancy, but we’re learning and implementing them fast over these last few weeks.
We’ve got some issues where things that can be left to coast for a month or so will start to have problems over time, but we should be smart enough to figure out ways to solve those over time. Moving to more spread out shifts, and finding out how to reduce contact between workers are not impossible tasks.
The big issue is that it may take a complete social restructuring to make this viable long-term, and that scares the living shit out of conservatives. They see this coming, and they’re getting desperate to do anything to derail this before the public realizes not only that it may be needed in the future, but start to question why it wasn’t this way already.
The mainstream Democrats (of which Pelosi is a key part) would actually be conservatives in most other countries. The Republicans would be a fringe far-right party of kooks with a single seat here or there.
Exactly - their assumptions are that other peoples’ parents and grandparents will die.
Ironic since many of the people advocating this are in their 60s and 70s and generally in poor health. They literally think their privilege will save them.
And let’s just do a little back-of-the-envelope calculation. Assume half the population gets infected and 4% of those die. That’s about one Holocaust sacrificed directly on the Altar of Capitalism. That’s not counting those who die from other diseases because critical supplies and facilities are overwhelmed with coronavirus cases.
A Holocaust. Just so Republicans have a “good economy” to hold up while Donny Two Scoops is re-elected.
Biden shouldn’t be “planning” private meetings with the Surgeon General. Unless that feckless, gormless, spineless, heartless, racist, plutocratic motherfucker is trying to give the election to the Republicans - not completely beyond belief - he should be screaming this from the rooftops.
