Inform Each Other?

[TheNomad]

As of 3-22, Here's what is changed in Southern California for me and what has not.

Ppl are still hoarding supplies. Restaurants are closed except for takeout. I am preferring this. A nice Greek-style meal (fresh fish!) had on an ocean bluff works for me. And while there, more ppl than I maybe have seen. With everyone off work and spending time with families, this is what I thought would happen.

I haven't seen folks walking in the neighborhood to this level ever. Cars are not being used. People are staying local. What a beautiful thing. No cars. I never thought I would see it.

At night, the quiet calm is unfathomable. Everyone is just chilling. I bless this for everything getting real time to spend with family finally.

Other than that, people are not jumping from rooftops as reported on salacious media. No one is trapped inside singing. We can find good things in every bad thing. If we choose...

[TheNomad]

I went to a trail today. It's one I know well. It is kind of a local thing. I would say on a Sunday, there were a dozen times more people there than I have seen. There are many access points and I couldn't believe ppl were parked on the road even.

I paid attention, it was individual groups of ppl together, but spaced apart from other groups. I don't think I could say definitively 6ft apart. I also saw SO many walking ppl like never before. It made me happy, actually. Families with strollers, kids, grandparents.

I saw ppl in the park laying out in the sun. They were SMALL GROUPS (I would say family or loved one) spaced apart on the grass.

We are being called "defiant" by the government. I don't know about that. I am seeing articles of suicide and child abuse. I think it's much better for everyone to stay healthy and if they can, to get outside and quell that fear.

The only thing to fear is fear itself. That's how I am raised.

[David Horn]

(03-19-2020, 07:05 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: It's ridiculous.  We went from no precautions, to reasonable precautions, to gross overkill, over a weekend.  And none of this will permit enough cases to build herd immunity.  People are laboring under the misconception that it's only for a week or two, when it's not likely to change until an effective vaccine is produced and released, which is likely to be a year or more.  Everyone is giving up a year of their lives to avoid a small chance of a disease which for most of them won't be more than a bad cold.

I just heard Governor Cuomo of NY address this issue, and his take is a good one.  If you want people back out there earning money and keeping things going, you need to do a few simple things:

1. Isolate the truly at-risk individuals.  Most have compromised immune systems or they are quite elderly.
   
2. Start testing in earnest.  Testing allows several complimentary things:
   • Identification of people infected but not symptomatic.  Some never will be; others can be tracked and treated early.
     
   • Identification of people who had the virus and have already recovered -- many who were never aware they were sick.
     
   • Use the data to identify areas at risk as well as individuals.
     
3. For those who are post-illness, get them back in the workforce.
   
4. For those not at risk and testing healthy, get them back working as well.
   

None of this happens overnight.  Cuomo's team put the estimate at 8 weeks to get this in place,, with improvements being incremental from that point forward.  That beats the hell out of 8 months, which will apply unless we get going in earnest.  He also noted that we need to use the Defense Procurement Act as a tool -- starting immediately.

[Bob Butler 54]

Does anyone know why Trump is delaying using the Defense Procurement Act?

[David Horn]

(03-23-2020, 11:36 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: Does anyone know why Trump is delaying using the Defense Procurement Act?

I certainly don't, but I'll speculate.  First, he hates the idea that he'll lose control of the handouts to friends and stiff arm to opponents if the act makes it public knowledge that Company W will do X, and Company Y will do Z.  That may be the primary reason, but a second one also appeals.  If he makes that move, he owns the crisis 100%.  Up to now, he's been pointing at the governors as the ones responsible. He'll blame them for every failure, though he'll move to the front of the line if credit is due.

Typical behavior.

[Bob Butler 54]

I heard from one poor source that it would increase inconvenience to the elites that would be effected.

[TheNomad]

off topic for a moment, this thread is about US informing each other about what is personally happened to us in daily life instead of just hearing about it on the news.

The president is concerned with one thing and everyone should understand whatever it does is toward that end: re-election. Honestly, I have come to judge myself for my hatred of what we have now because when I truly look without prejudice, much is not different from any predecessor - at least not while I've been alive. The man was elected probably when he really didn't even expect it. Then, once you become that... the chief officer... and you have all your family climbing from the sewers of NY and FL to levels of world leaders and "ancient" wealth like the Bushes, the only thing left to grasp for is legacy.

When an American president does not acquire a second term, they are all but humiliated. For someone at that level, they will always be remembered for a failure no matter what they may think they've accomplished while there. I see the president as an extremely pragmatic person no matter what I think of him and them. I think on the inside, he is just overwhelmed his children are being hand-introduced to global influencers and markets they would never otherwise maybe have reached. That his family name has been elevated to such a status.

After that, what will this man do? His sole goal internally, I would guess, is preserving legacy.

OK, that was a preamble......

Toward that end, there was probably no perceived threat to that end until this Crisis happened last week. Unfortunately, everything he does will be guided toward our perception of how he is handling this. Biden has said today, a first, criticizing the president's handing as unacceptable. THIS.................... in Biden's own bid to gain election.



I see a mirror image. Do you? Are they SO different on the inside? One might be a little less reptilian yet searching for power nonetheless. You don't stand as Senator for that many aeons without becoming a bit of a tongue-flicker yourself.

Anyway, whatever powers the president declares or doesn't, it's not in any of our interest for health and safety. If it believes we will perceive it as helpful, thus, reflective of positive polling, it will happen. If not, it will not happen. You can be sure there is straw polling and diagnoses on public perception concerning ALL possible decisions and outcomes of those decisions. I have no doubt it has daily if not hourly projections of coming decisions and possible outcomes based on perception.

*** Someone here mentioned the president not wanting to take responsibility... that's a careful strategy. It is shrewd.. him, I mean. Or it. Whatever. Very wise. It knows this is 'hot potato' and I don't know that a predecessor would have handed things off to states so quickly. Although, states seem to be handing it much better. There is no top-down leadership. No owning of this. Because WHOEVER owns it, they will receive the backlash.

Backlash from anywhere harms election prospect. Lack of leadership, we all suffer, but keeps him 'clean' if there is such a thing. Although, as comforting to some as Obama was, can I really imagine him being much different? We wouldn't think he would act this way, but I think he would. Perhaps with much better nuance to the public in terms of reassurance. But giving it to states nonetheless.

Contrarily, a man like Mayor Pete, I can see owning this 100% regardless of reelection. I can envision him standing there openly saying "we could have done better" or something to that effect. Do his own downfall. Do we want someone like that? Rather, are we ready for that? Someone who actually takes responsibility and is not ruled by polls and election prospects?

We are not ready for that currently. Why? Because we are too ready to point fingers. Pointing political fingers is all America has known for a very long time. Instead of just identifying problems and solving them, we are too obsessed with who is at fault, blaming them, then politicizing that blame with intent to replace one color with another.

Can anyone see the pattern? If we could get past this values-driven approach, a man like Pete - an honest man - could be our leader instead of the stream of those ruled by elections and polling.