The Coronavirus

[Bob Butler 54]

(05-02-2020, 01:14 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: Science takes time. Politicians take time. Bureaucratic establishments take time. Systems take time to adjust. While all that time is being taken, the entire money related  system is losing money hand over fist. The State of Minnesota is about 5 billion in the hole or short as far as TAX REVENUES with no end in sight as far as the virus goes right now. We have a portion of the workforce out there working and interacting with people/customers and placing themselves at risk as we speak. In short, the shit ain't going away for years and the shit has most likely been around for longer than a month and a half. That's where we are at in my opinion. I think I probably already had it back in late December/early January. I'll let you know for sure whenever the tests that our governor and his team keeps telling us about as being here then telling us why it isn't here yet and then telling us it should be here in a week then extending it being here for another week or two and then extending it another month or so. The job of a doctor or nurse is to advise not dictate. The job of a scientist is to advise not dictate. The job of Democratic politician living of the wealth and success of an American based nation is to lead not follow and not speak to me while in a room with reporters and members of his team without wearing masks themselves. It's hypocritical and sends the wrong message and hurts themselves in the process.

Science does take time.  Still, as I have said elsewhere, being careful, doing no harm, can to some extent take a back seat when so much harm is being done by taking your time.

Politicians?  Bureaucrats?  In a crisis, there are trials and errors.  There are lessons learned.  How to take less time while people are dying might be such a lesson this time around.  Why is there a shortage of PPE?  Why are there no tests?  One of the big lessons learned will be how to act promptly with as little time spent on overhead as possible.  We should not be content with delay and inefficiency.

And there are the protesters.  In making a big deal or violating isolation, they are only guaranteeing the isolation will last longer.  The people who want to save lives and the people who want to reopen the economy should be on the same side.  If you try to open the economy without tests, without reducing the number of infections, you are only going to have another wave that forces the shutdowns to start again and last longer.  If you violate isolation in the protests, you are only spreading the virus and forcing the isolation to last longer.

And doing it smart counts.  You would know better than me, but it seems like a mask, gloves and a can of Lysol would allow you to safely do repairs on many an air conditioning system.  There are likely enough other precautions you could take and some situations that can’t be worked around that only someone who has worked the job could know.  There is no reason for you to stay at home so long as you are taking every reasonable precaution.  As I have given examples in three of the jobs I worked before I retired, I would not be surprised if such a logic could be applied widely.  

There are alternatives to shutting everything down or opening everything up.  This does not say professional sports or jewelry stores can be categorized as essential.  There are some things that should be shut down for the duration.

We have, through automation, vastly improved productivity.  In order that everyone keep a 40 hour work week and retire at around 65, we have given a lot of the difference in productivity to the elites and spent much of our effort on luxuries.  The virus, among other things, has given us a chance to rethink our priorities.  Do I need an air conditioner?  I got along fine without one until about 5 years ago.  Could we restructure the way the economy works such that fewer hours per week or per career are worked, but the pay is distributed more evenly to more people?

But some only want to return to the old normal.  Some would rather gripe than think outside the box.  Something quite different might evolve out of all this.