Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
I know I’ve said this before, but what is so frustrating is that this only ends one way - mandates. Mandates from every employer and many other private entities.
And yes, broad mandates from the government. We can argue about government overreach when we aren’t losing hundreds of thousands a year. During times of war, the US has frequently allowed government overreach and then reigned the government back in when the crisis has passed. COVID has killed more Americans then any war in US history. A complex web of forces, not least the fact that it’s a lot harder to get sensational visual images of a pandemic then a war, means a lot of foolish people can’t grasp the depths of the emergency. But this pandemic is very arguably as deep a crisis as any war America has faced.
I am frustrated with many - with the foot-dragging FDA, a CDC that can’t communicate a coherent message, the overly cautious administration, the click-happy mainstream media, and Disney and Universal and other multi billion dollar conglomerates too weak to use their power to lead. And I’m infuriated with performative politicians preventing mandates, violating the constitution while pretending to protect it. Politicians who thought others would do the heavy work of stopping the pandemic while they campaigned for future elections and now, as cases skyrocket and it’s clear the crisis isn’t passing, are trapped in destructive positions without the wit or courage to find a way to reverse course. I’m infuriated by pundits clinging to relevance by denigrating a vaccine they’ve certainly already taken. And I’m infuriated with a segment of the public that, out of fear, ignorance, and rage makes the positions of those pundits and politicians profitable.
This ends with mandates across the board. That’s clear. We could impose those mandates tomorrow. But instead we’ll twiddle our finger, talk nicely to people who can’t be persuaded, and let several more thousand die as the economy flounders.
Sorry, had to vent.
And yes, broad mandates from the government. We can argue about government overreach when we aren’t losing hundreds of thousands a year. During times of war, the US has frequently allowed government overreach and then reigned the government back in when the crisis has passed. COVID has killed more Americans then any war in US history. A complex web of forces, not least the fact that it’s a lot harder to get sensational visual images of a pandemic then a war, means a lot of foolish people can’t grasp the depths of the emergency. But this pandemic is very arguably as deep a crisis as any war America has faced.
I am frustrated with many - with the foot-dragging FDA, a CDC that can’t communicate a coherent message, the overly cautious administration, the click-happy mainstream media, and Disney and Universal and other multi billion dollar conglomerates too weak to use their power to lead. And I’m infuriated with performative politicians preventing mandates, violating the constitution while pretending to protect it. Politicians who thought others would do the heavy work of stopping the pandemic while they campaigned for future elections and now, as cases skyrocket and it’s clear the crisis isn’t passing, are trapped in destructive positions without the wit or courage to find a way to reverse course. I’m infuriated by pundits clinging to relevance by denigrating a vaccine they’ve certainly already taken. And I’m infuriated with a segment of the public that, out of fear, ignorance, and rage makes the positions of those pundits and politicians profitable.
This ends with mandates across the board. That’s clear. We could impose those mandates tomorrow. But instead we’ll twiddle our finger, talk nicely to people who can’t be persuaded, and let several more thousand die as the economy flounders.
Sorry, had to vent.
