Posted on 04/29/2020 9:56:15 AM PDT by Kaslin
We're seeing now what efforts against COVID-19 were supposed to produce: a flattening of the growth curve of new fatalities. The growth rate of fatalities is dropping.
We entered the dark tunnel, and now we are on the way out. Rays of light are shining in.
We will survive. But will we learn?
It appears that the initial estimates of the scope of the threat were off by some orders of magnitude. But we started with zero knowledge.
Mistakes are part of living. The problem is when we don't learn.
The country already had huge, pressing problems before COVID-19. The experience with this crisis can and must provide invaluable lessons for coming out a stronger and better nation.
This experience should make it clear that politicians should not be micromanaging our lives.
Can anyone be surprised that when the government dispenses a few trillion dollars in the course of a few weeks, targeting these funds efficiently -- the aid being structured properly and funds getting where they need to go -- is impossible?
Funds from the aid bills winding up in the hands of big corporations, professional sports teams and rich Ivy League universities while many small businesses that can't meet payroll are being shut out should come as no surprise.
That's not to say we should not shine light where errors have been made, fix those errors and try to get the funds where they are most needed. But we must stay aware about the fact that government aid is by nature grossly inefficient and we shouldn't be doing it unless there is absolutely no choice.
The federal government budget going into this crisis was already approaching $5 trillion, 75% of which is transfer payments -- that is, entitlements and social expenditures mostly dealing with welfare and poverty.
So we routinely have annual social spending on the order of what we're spending now to get through this crisis. Do you believe it is any more efficient?
We've also seen in recent months a crisis in the governing structure of the nation.
The founders designed and gave us a very good operating manual for how to run things. It's called the Constitution.
We've witnessed chaos through this crisis between mayors, governors and the federal government regarding who is responsible for doing what. This is the direct result of court decisions over the course of many years obfuscating the clarity of the Constitution as originally drafted regarding the limited powers of the federal government.
The COVID-19 crisis has shined light on a crisis in American government. We should fix it and appreciate the wisdom and efficiencies of the Constitution as drafted and originally understood for defining and limiting power of the federal government.
The crisis should also make us aware of the mistakes we have made in undermining traditional values, which has led to a collapse of the American family.
We now see the vulnerability of our aged.
The collapse of conjugal marriage and the dramatic drop in births means we are living in a nation growing old, with an increasing number of Americans who will grow old alone.
It's not right. And it's certainly not healthy.
In a recent Pew Research survey, 45% said it "makes no difference" that Americans now live in many different types of family arrangements. Fifty-seven percent say it is "essential" for men to have a career they enjoy, and 46% say that is essential for women. But only 16% say being married is "essential" for men, and 17% say it is for women. And only 16% say having children is "essential" for men, and 22% say it is for women.
Let's pray that COVID-19 will bring forth a new respect for love and marriage in America, and produce new waves of children.
I’ve learned that a huge number of Americans are incapable of critical thinking. That they are fear driven, selfish creatures.
Just like the rain dance. We danced all month and finally we made it rain. See?
No, initial estimates were if we did nothing. Instead we had a nation wide lock own which dramatically changed the results.
And we didn't start with zero knowledge. There was information coming out of other countries.
Lesson #1 - Don’t trust the Chinese
Same as before:
Don’t trust Big Media, never trust a ‘Rat.
Actually, the jury is still out on what effect the lockdown had. Our biggest problem was not lack of information from other countries, but malicious misinformation that came from other countries. We should have never trusted China.
I learned what I already knew, Mass Hysteria is ugly and easily achieved.
Amen brother
Also:
Don’t trust a freeper who trusts Big Media.
We saw the Chinese welding doors to apartment buildings shut. Temporary hospitals were erected. At least 100,000 people died in Wuhan. It’s probably twice that.
‘Instead we had a nation wide lock own which dramatically changed the results.’
keep telling yourself that; but if you’re going to keep telling us, prove it...should be simple, if it’s as effective as you say...
The media is to blame for the panic. The morons believe every thing the media tells them, and it fills them with fear.
I live in the small city of Rome, New York, which is in the Mohawk Valley. When I went to my local Walmart yesterday to pick up some groceries for the week, the shelves were more bare than I've seen them since this thing started. The place looked like a cyclone had hit it. There were only two packages left of the thick sliced bacon that I like. They were double-sized packages, so I took them both, and separated them before putting them into the freezer. The butter aisle was devastated. They were out of the Land-O-Lakes salted whipped tub butter I always buy, so I bought a package of quarters instead. This was the first time since this panic started that I hadn't been able to find the items on my list. I'm going to hit my local grocery store today or tomorrow, to see if I can get the rest of the stuff on my list.
In the last couple days, I’ve seen public social media posts “quietly” warning their friends of the alleged coming meat shortage.
“...targeting these funds efficiently — the aid being structured properly and funds getting where they need to go — is impossible?”
Indeed. So efficient that the first time I check into “get my payment” everyday I get a message saying I’ve exceeded the limit of attempts. On those rare occassions I get through the message is they have no record matching mine. Silly me...I’ve only been filing tax returns for 60 years or so and an SS recipient for 18 years. How foolish to think they would have me in their system.
The CCCP Virus should not have surprised anyone not in the advanced stages of mental retardation.
No conspiracies needed- viruses have come out of that area for decades with not help from some Gates/Soros funded lab, just stupid f*ckers eating stuff they shouldn’t and typical cover-you-ass inefficiencies are completely sufficient to guarantee something this happening.
We went through *ALL* of this a century ago.
there are no unknowns, only ignorance, stupidity, and wishful thinking, combined with the idiotic extremes of completely disregarding medical expertise vs worshiping it unquestioningly
Those (probably) that you accuse have learned the same lesson.
I believe that if you look at the initial estimates, you’ll find that they were based on assumptions of a lockdown.
If our intel agencies were still of the patriotic quality they were during the Cold War era and not rotted out, politicized and redirected to domestic chicanery they would have known. Obama/Brennan killed it.
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