The Corona Virus pandemic: my two cents.

Just a few thoughts to add to the countless millions of essay’s, tweets, posts, feature broadcasts, etc., etc.:

Funny how the American conservative political establishment and punditry screamed bloody murder about Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders being a “socialist democrat”, yet they seem to be fast evolving into the very same thing as they put forth various economic/medical support packages and proposals from the federal government for the middle & working class and poor who are effected by the isolation methods used to stave off spread of the virus.

You can’t ask Americans to “pull together” when you hit the panic button and tell them to stay away from crowds, only go out if absolutely necessary and then watch their jobs slowly fad away due to lack of business. What this is fostering is a “every man for themselves” environment, and a dependence on the delivery services by corporations. And you middle management types just better suck it up and get to work....the folk who keep the lights and heat on and the water flowing are!

I wonder if the “preppers” (what use to be known as survivalists) are now high-fiving each other in their “secret” hideouts and community enclaves chanting “we knew it! We told them so!” Yep, some of those folk have been waiting damn near 40 years for this type of situation. Guess they got their Social Security checks and Medicare/Medicaid situation together before scurrying off to their stash of freeze dried foods and augmented full automatic weapons. Well, so long guys...we’ll see you back in the city and suburbs in a few weeks to sign up for welfare and unemployment. Don’t let the door hit your asses on the way out.

And then there’s our “leadership”.... the Orange Oaf (President Trump) and his Christo-fascist side kick Vice President Pence lying through their teeth as they deny responsibility for stripping the very federal agencies designed to handle such a crisis with seasoned personnel and replacing them with under qualified stooges .... then proposing to cut funding to federal health agencies (with the blessing of the Republican Party in Congress). Nope, all that had no effect on the documented delayed response and haphazard White House responses. Nothing to see here, move along.

Also, I find it interesting that the pharmaceutical industry in conjunction with the Food & Drug Administration has spent YEARS broadcasting propaganda against ANY claims that vitamins, minerals and supplements from trusted, decades old private companies have therapeutic and preventative properties … only the FDA approved drugs can help you. Yet yesterday I just watched a TV new feature telling me what type of supplements and such you can purchase from your local health food store that can boost your immune system while a vaccine is being developed for production a month or two from now! Can you say hypocrites boys and girls? Sure you can … I knew you could.

Bottom line: this pandemic is exposing the basic flaws as to how our society has been functioning just in the last 30 some odd years. Now our election process is on bullhorn to choose a candidate that is essentially the status quo on either side of the spectrum; Trump - an extremist, fringe version of conservatism, or Biden - a mildly liberal, slightly conciliatory deterrent. We are told to ignore a candidate that actually can put into motion REAL CHANGE in our political & social system that will help EVERYONE, as this is will take away our individual freedom.

Hmm, I would think this slide towards martial law during this pandemic will take of that. I guess we all will have to learn to be nice to each other, share and help out as a GROUP OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE SAME COUNTRY! So crazy it just might work,

 

The old scout motto of being prepared isnt a left or right issue It is an issue of intelligence. Half of us cant afford thrthe expense of prepping.

 

As someone prepared physically and economically for this, I’m not opposed to sharing. In fact it’s been part of my preparations to ensure that I can. But I am more inclined to “come together” and share with people who don’t act like you just did. Carry on.

 

Should have saved your 2 cents.

 

I agree with your first two sentences. I'm not a survivalist, but living in California, I do buy in bulk in case of earthquakes, so I have - especially since the one on July 4th of last year - plenty of towels, TP, water and some other essentials. Oh, and a couple guns as well. Plenty of ammo just in case.

As for the last, I dunno - I mean, it would involve being frugal for awhile but I think it's possible to save up SOME kind of nest egg of supplies even on a limited budget.

 

Trump has done a superb job of the situation
You call him silly names but what have you ever done in your life ?

 

USA is on top of this

 

BS!

 

Why are folks wasting their 2 cents?

 

As of 3-15-2020 -- World wide -- Confirmed Cases: 156,400; Deaths: 5,833; Recovered: 73,868. I see no reason to panic. I think most countries are taking steps to contain the virus and now we just have to let it run it's course like any other flu virus.

 

I'm really puzzled about the statement about vitamins and supplements.

 

#1- Self-reliant people who prepared for this sort of crisis are jerks, because only more, and more bigger, government can save us.

#2- Flintstones chewables, homeopathic snake oil, and Vitamin Moonbeam is the best medicine.

#3- A mildly-lucid, slightly-coherent presidential candidate will save us.

Um, no thanks to all that.

 

Given it up dude Bernie is never going to be the President

 

We can't afford not to be prepared.

There's a better motto for you.

 

Why is it that modern progressives are trying to redefine "socialism" as anything the government spends taxpayer money on? It's like trying to redefine "dumptruck" as anything that has wheels.

The government spending taxpayer money is not how to define socialism.

 

Also:

Progressive message to the anti-vaxxers: "Herd immunity Herd immunity Herd immunity"

Progressive message in the absence of vaccine: "Keep it away."

Those two positions are not compatible. This contagion will continue to transmit until enough people have the appropriate antibodies to prevent that transmission. People have to get it in order for it to go away. True (healthy) progressives out there should be taking one for the team and licking subway handrails before self quarantining to ride out the flu. That would actually do something to help society in this situation.

 

Awe, cute. Someone has discovered regulatory capture. You realize this is an argument against a strong centralized government?

 

You confuse an external threat to all with the self-imposed threat to one's self. A national action to fight an epidemic is indeed a service to everyone- while socialism is a benefit to the less productive whose cost is extracted from the more productive. These are polar opposites, not comparable conditions. It seems hate is an infectious disease too, we are seeing unreasoned hate everywhere- but unlike the virus, it only infects those whose minds and character are already prepared to embrace it. We can treat a virus medically. Not much that the government or society can do to cure unreasoned hate.

 

Just because a government effort is carried out in the spirit of Will James' philosophy of pragmatism doesn't mean that it is socialism. A government needs to keep it's citizens healthy so they can pay taxes, and in wildfires, hurricanes, and floods a government needs to help citizens back to normalcy so they can return to work and pay taxes.

I'd say if you have to get coronavirus the USA is the country you would choose to have it in. Like the first three patients in Maryland who have recovered in the hospital and have been discharged, your odds are better here than anywhere else. And this also shall pass.

 

True, but I'm not saying not to take precautions...I'm just pointing out how the current approach by this inept administration is stoking near hysteria.

 

translation: a know nothing crank with an axe to grind against my posts via defeat in a previous.

 

I'm not against rational preparation, just the near hysteria that the current administration's approach is stoking which in all likelihood will NOT be necessary.

 

GMAFB! Hope they at least pay you minimum wage for Trump trolling.

Let's look at this "superb" job:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...rumps-false-or-misleading-coronavirus-claims/
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/487401-trump-is-culpable-for-impacts-of-coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...us-joe-biden-bernie-sanders-live-updates-news

 

Yeah, right....just barely no thanks to the hysterics prompting Orange Oaf.

 

Are you referring to the Orange Oaf's press conferences on this? I agree.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...us-joe-biden-bernie-sanders-live-updates-news