Surprise! Red Tier Now Begins Sunday; Downtown Disney Restaurants???

[TP2000]

Oh no no no, this can't be correct! Haven't you heard all the governmental guidance? With The Science and The Data! Christmas is cancelled this year.

However, you can still have a very Happy ThanksGavin! Alone. On Zoom. #wearamaskbetweenbitesandwashyourhands

Trust me, I've been following all the "guidance" coming out of Sacramento until I'm nauseous.

What's fascinating with these two shocking court cases the past two weeks is that there is literally no Science & Data anyone in local government can offer to a judge as to why they shut down restaurants. Or bars. Or strip clubs. And thus, probably no evidence they could offer why Governor Newsom shut down Disneyland.

It's like the Wizard of Oz where Toto pulls back the curtain and we see the Great And Powerful Oz is really just a wimpy bureaucrat pulling whatever levers he thinks might fool people that week. There's actually no Science & Data to offer as to what Science & Data they have been using to close major industries up and down the state and ruin thousands of businesses big and small, while destroying millions and millions of lives and livelihoods in California. Science & Data!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Appeals court blocks San Diego County restaurant openings (msn.com)

>>A California appeals court on Friday blocked a judge’s order allowing San Diego County restaurants to resume indoor and outdoor dining, keeping Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home edict in full effect.

A three-judge panel's brief order gave no explanation and came almost immediately after the state asked for emergency intervention. Two strip clubs were given until Wednesday to ask the appeals court to reconsider.<<

Well, there is always this option....

Eat | Pechanga Resort Casino

Casino Insider: What casinos are serving for Christmas – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)

 

[TP2000]

Appeals court blocks San Diego County restaurant openings (msn.com)

>>A California appeals court on Friday blocked a judge’s order allowing San Diego County restaurants to resume indoor and outdoor dining, keeping Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home edict in full effect.

A three-judge panel's brief order gave no explanation and came almost immediately after the state asked for emergency intervention. Two strip clubs were given until Wednesday to ask the appeals court to reconsider.<<

Well, there is always this option....

Eat | Pechanga Resort Casino

Casino Insider: What casinos are serving for Christmas – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)

So what does this mean? The San Diego restaurants that reopened on Friday can't open on Saturday?

Meanwhile here in north OC, I know of several restaurants owned by small businessmen and women who are just reopening fully. There's at least two I know of, who shall remain nameless, that are doing indoor dining and doing a booming business at that.

If Newsom got his DA to block the San Diego judge's order, with "no explanation", I can easily imagine the San Diego restaurants that reopened on Friday will remain open on Saturday. I can't say I blame them. The whole thing is a complete mess and a total failure of leadership from Sacramento.

Meanwhile, forecast for Anaheim is for sunny skies and temps around 76 on Saturday and 82 on Sunday. Good thing all the outdoor restaurants are closed forcing everyone to socialize in unregulated private homes the weekend before Christmas! Your tax dollars at work, gang.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Well, after a gift exchange with my Uncle and Cousin in Temecula, headed to the Cahuilla Casino in Anza.

Sat down at the Ribbonwood Grill for a early supper. Lisa had Shrimp Scampi with scallops on the side. I had a nice Ribeye steak. Shared a piece of Chocolate Cake for dessert. Had to have a temperature check to enter the casino, plus a metal detector.

But a very nice, full service meal in Riverside County, California.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

Just had a lovely meal at Tiffin's in Animal Kingdom. Spent so long talking with our server that we stayed well past closing and were escorted last out of the park an hour and a half past closing. We're currently having a night cap at the bar in the Swan (an AMAZING coconut porter from Sarasota, FL). All our conversations have been the same with people, sadness and dismay at California's horrible mishandling of the lockdowns and decimation of our society in the state.

Things are going well here... Our server at dinner has worked all over the resort for over 10 years and had a great time chatting with us. She even taught us a new Disney fact none of us knew... Apparently Second Star to the Right has origins in Alice in Wonderland with different lyrics etc., I never knew that!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Here is an sad, but interesting stat, TP2000.

But then, the Government hands out free drugs, which helps kills them....

Staggering surge in drug overdose deaths far outpace COVID-19 fatalities in San Francisco | KTLA

 

[TP2000]

Here is an sad, but interesting stat, TP2000.

But then, the Government hands out free drugs, which helps kills them....

Staggering surge in drug overdose deaths far outpace COVID-19 fatalities in San Francisco | KTLA

Oh, geez. If you had gone back in time 30 years and tried to tell someone this is how very progressive cities like San Francisco and New York work now, they would never believe you. For those keeping score at home...

San Francisco County Deaths Per Year
2019 = 441 Deaths Due To Drug Overdoses (mostly from fentanyl, dying in gutters and city parks)
2020 = 621 Deaths So Far From Drug Overdoses (mostly from fentanyl, dying in gutters and city parks)
2020 = 173 Deaths So Far From Covid-19 (majority of deaths over the age of 75, with existing health problems)

No one in San Francisco cares about the 621+ druggies dying in the streets. Or they care so much that they give out free taxpayer-funded needles to help them inject themselves with more drugs in the gutter to bring on death faster.

But 173 deaths of old people from Covid? That requires a complete shut-down of all service industries and forces Nancy Pelosi into a speakeasy illegal salon for an illicit cream rinse and a fresh blowout. And when Nancy gets caught she goes on national TV and blames the help and puts the small businesswoman out of business for good, just to remind her of her lower place in society. Shut up and pay your taxes you little person! There are needle exchanges to pay for!

 

[smooch]

Oh, geez. If you had gone back in time 30 years and tried to tell someone this is how very progressive cities like San Francisco and New York work now, they would never believe you. For those keeping score at home...

San Francisco County Deaths Per Year
2019 = 441 Deaths Due To Drug Overdoses (mostly from fentanyl, dying in gutters and city parks)
2020 = 621 Deaths So Far From Drug Overdoses (mostly from fentanyl, dying in gutters and city parks)
2020 = 173 Deaths So Far From Covid-19 (majority of deaths over the age of 75, with existing health problems)

No one in San Francisco cares about the 621+ druggies dying in the streets. Or they care so much that they give out free taxpayer-funded needles to help them inject themselves with more drugs in the gutter to bring on death faster.

But 173 deaths of old people from Covid? That requires a complete shut-down of all service industries and forces Nancy Pelosi into a speakeasy illegal salon for an illicit cream rinse and a fresh blowout. And when Nancy gets caught she goes on national TV and blames the help and puts the small businesswoman out of business for good, just to remind her of her lower place in society. Shut up and pay your taxes you little person! There are needle exchanges to pay for!

San Francisco has done very very well containing the spread of the virus and that is why there are so few deaths from it. As for the drug overdose deaths, the fentanyl is laced in other drugs stemming from a much much larger issue of opioid abuse. I have written multiple essays on the opioid pandemic and fentanyl more specifically causing deaths. Yes there are drug addicts all over SF, but there are also drug addicts in small rural towns dying from fentanyl overdoses, SF has so many more because of the large population. People will get legit Xanax from a friend or from a doctor and become addicted, but sometimes their prescription runs out and can't get renewed and they have to turn to street drugs, and buy Xanax off the street. People selling these drugs on the street will cut legit Xanax with fentanyl to produce more bars to make more money, and the interaction between Xanax (among other drugs) and fentanyl is often deadly. These aren't only homeless people shooting up in the streets dying of drug overdoses, there are people with good paying jobs who have a home and a career who are dying of overdoses, not necessarily purposely from lockdown depression. The cases of drug overdoses have been rising for a very long time as a result of many different factors leading to worsening mental health.

Heck, this hits really close to home because of my brother I've mentioned on here before. Me and my two brothers grew up with the same situation, same schools, same parents, same household. Both of them have used drugs pretty extensively, and for a point both of them were addicted to Xanax. My mom has a prescription and uses it for her anxiety on rare occasions and I've had both my brothers take them from her and enjoying it, which kicked off their addictions. For a while they both used and both had access to actual prescribed Xanax from friends, but at some point my twin stopped and never went to street pills, but my older brother did while he lived on his own in LA for college. He still used up until his recent hospitalization, and I am convinced he got some laced pills at some point, not because of his seizure as that's not what fentanyl causes but he did not have access to prescribed pills and was getting them anywhere he could. Had my dad and I not gotten to my brother in time during his seizure a few weeks ago he could have easily been another number in the overdose statistic.

But he isn't homeless, shooting up in the street with government provided needles. But he would count in the same statistic as them. Basically I am trying to say that while yes there is clearly a rampant drug problem in SF and there is tons of it on the streets it is not exclusive to the streets and it is not exclusive to people shooting up in ditches, it includes my brother and the large large majority of people like him included in the statistic. This is a big problem that is multi-faceted, with some factors that might not even seem related, and I think many people (not saying you in specific) have an incorrect view on the problem. This affects people you would never expect it to, the drug overdose deaths we see constantly increasing come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and they do not discriminate. Heck, it doesn't even have to be addicts dying these deaths, there could be a person at a party who takes one pill that is pressed with fentanyl and is inexperienced with drugs and dies as a result of not being aware of what happens.

Again I am not trying to attack you, but I have been very passionate about this topic for years because of my personal involvement with it, and I just want to explain to you and anyone else reading that it can be easy to dismiss these 621 deaths as druggies in the streets who shoot up in a ditch and overdose but that is simply not the case, and it is not only in large cities. All across America people have been prescribed addictive, dangerous medicines and then their prescriptions run out and they go through withdrawals and have to turn to any alternative they can to get their hit so they can feel like they can function, and the huge amount of pressed pills on the streets is causing so many deaths so dealers can make a quick buck. This is why I personally believe in a system like Portugal where you decriminalize the consumption of drugs in order to ensure people who do take drugs are getting clean drugs that won't kill them. There are many studies on the results of Portugal's decriminalization of drug consumption and it has lead to less deaths and even less drug usage. People won't see drugs get decriminalized and think to themselves "well I'm gonna go out and try all these cool pills and powders" and those who are addicted to drugs do not have to rely on shady street transactions to get their drugs their bodies depend on and thus have fewer overdoses and even more access to programs to get sober and rehabilitate their citizens.

 

[Darkbeer1]

San Francisco has done very very well containing the spread of the virus and that is why there are so few deaths from it. As for the drug overdose deaths, the fentanyl is laced in other drugs stemming from a much much larger issue of opioid abuse. I have written multiple essays on the opioid pandemic and fentanyl more specifically causing deaths. Yes there are drug addicts all over SF, but there are also drug addicts in small rural towns dying from fentanyl overdoses, SF has so many more because of the large population. People will get legit Xanax from a friend or from a doctor and become addicted, but sometimes their prescription runs out and can't get renewed and they have to turn to street drugs, and buy Xanax off the street. People selling these drugs on the street will cut legit Xanax with fentanyl to produce more bars to make more money, and the interaction between Xanax (among other drugs) and fentanyl is often deadly. These aren't only homeless people shooting up in the streets dying of drug overdoses, there are people with good paying jobs who have a home and a career who are dying of overdoses, not necessarily purposely from lockdown depression. The cases of drug overdoses have been rising for a very long time as a result of many different factors leading to worsening mental health.

Heck, this hits really close to home because of my brother I've mentioned on here before. Me and my two brothers grew up with the same situation, same schools, same parents, same household. Both of them have used drugs pretty extensively, and for a point both of them were addicted to Xanax. My mom has a prescription and uses it for her anxiety on rare occasions and I've had both my brothers take them from her and enjoying it, which kicked off their addictions. For a while they both used and both had access to actual prescribed Xanax from friends, but at some point my twin stopped and never went to street pills, but my older brother did while he lived on his own in LA for college. He still used up until his recent hospitalization, and I am convinced he got some laced pills at some point, not because of his seizure as that's not what fentanyl causes but he did not have access to prescribed pills and was getting them anywhere he could. Had my dad and I not gotten to my brother in time during his seizure a few weeks ago he could have easily been another number in the overdose statistic.

But he isn't homeless, shooting up in the street with government provided needles. But he would count in the same statistic as them. Basically I am trying to say that while yes there is clearly a rampant drug problem in SF and there is tons of it on the streets it is not exclusive to the streets and it is not exclusive to people shooting up in ditches, it includes my brother and the large large majority of people like him included in the statistic. This is a big problem that is multi-faceted, with some factors that might not even seem related, and I think many people (not saying you in specific) have an incorrect view on the problem. This affects people you would never expect it to, the drug overdose deaths we see constantly increasing come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and they do not discriminate. Heck, it doesn't even have to be addicts dying these deaths, there could be a person at a party who takes one pill that is pressed with fentanyl and is inexperienced with drugs and dies as a result of not being aware of what happens.

Again I am not trying to attack you, but I have been very passionate about this topic for years because of my personal involvement with it, and I just want to explain to you and anyone else reading that it can be easy to dismiss these 621 deaths as druggies in the streets who shoot up in a ditch and overdose but that is simply not the case, and it is not only in large cities. All across America people have been prescribed addictive, dangerous medicines and then their prescriptions run out and they go through withdrawals and have to turn to any alternative they can to get their hit so they can feel like they can function, and the huge amount of pressed pills on the streets is causing so many deaths so dealers can make a quick buck. This is why I personally believe in a system like Portugal where you decriminalize the consumption of drugs in order to ensure people who do take drugs are getting clean drugs that won't kill them. There are many studies on the results of Portugal's decriminalization of drug consumption and it has lead to less deaths and even less drug usage. People won't see drugs get decriminalized and think to themselves "well I'm gonna go out and try all these cool pills and powders" and those who are addicted to drugs do not have to rely on shady street transactions to get their drugs their bodies depend on and thus have fewer overdoses and even more access to programs to get sober and rehabilitate their citizens.

Here is the "lay" person's view.

These "homeless" on the streets, using drugs, some even provided by the city (ka government) are allowed their freedoms, and can decide for themselves. You can't force them into treatment, rehab, or even a facility to isolate them from others to help slow the spread of COVID.

On the other hand, here are restaurants and other businesses trying to follow the guidance's in COVID protocols, buying Plexiglas, tents, etc. But the government can take these law abiding citizens and force them to close, lay off their employees, have their food spoil, etc. And now multiple judges in California have asked for some type of proof/study that outdoor dining can spread COVID. And the government agencies could prove nothing.

Where are their freedoms? If the Homeless Drug users can do anything they want, and the government does nothing to prevent their deaths, heck, even help them kill themselves, why can businesses operate when they want to, and customers can decide if they want to dine at a restaurant.

SF gives methadone, alcohol, cannabis to some addicts and homeless isolating from coronavirus in hotels - SFChronicle.com

Talk about a BIG inequality. The laws should treat everyone equally.

I want to see those that are a danger to themselves and/or others placed in some sort of program that features rehab, medical care, mental health, etc. If that was being done, well, maybe the public health officials demanding closures could make a better case for themselves.

And then there is this story...

Rehab doctor jailed for ‘patient brokering’ released to luxury home after COVID diagnosis – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)

And of course, this HUGE mess, deserving folks can't get their unemployment, but fraud runs rapid...

New Study Says California’s EDD Fraud Could Top $8B – CBS Los Angeles (cbslocal.com)

 

[smooch]

Here is the "lay" person's view.

These "homeless" on the streets, using drugs, some even provided by the city (ka government) are allowed their freedoms, and can decide for themselves. You can't force them into treatment, rehab, or even a facility to isolate them from others to help slow the spread of COVID.

On the other hand, here are restaurants and other businesses trying to follow the guidance's in COVID protocols, buying Plexiglas, tents, etc. But the government can take these law abiding citizens and force them to close, lay off their employees, have their food spoil, etc. And now multiple judges in California have asked for some type of proof/study that outdoor dining can spread COVID. And the government agencies could prove nothing.

Where are their freedoms? If the Homeless Drug users can do anything they want, and the government does nothing to prevent their deaths, heck, even help them kill themselves, why can businesses operate when they want to, and customers can decide if they want to dine at a restaurant.

SF gives methadone, alcohol, cannabis to some addicts and homeless isolating from coronavirus in hotels - SFChronicle.com

Talk about a BIG inequality. The laws should treat everyone equally.

I want to see those that are a danger to themselves and/or others placed in some sort of program that features rehab, medical care, mental health, etc. If that was being done, well, maybe the public health officials demanding closures could make a better case for themselves.

And then there is this story...

Rehab doctor jailed for ‘patient brokering’ released to luxury home after COVID diagnosis – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)

And of course, this HUGE mess, deserving folks can't get their unemployment, but fraud runs rapid...

New Study Says California’s EDD Fraud Could Top $8B – CBS Los Angeles (cbslocal.com)

I feel like we agree on a lot of the points you made, and I definitely acknowledge there are many homeless people represented by the 621 overdoses this year, and I do agree it is unfair that they would be given housing and drugs during the pandemic to protect them while people who are trying to provide for their family aren't allowed to work or aren't given the same help considering millions of Americans are facing an eviction crisis. I just wanted to point out that not every single one of those deaths is a homeless person dying on the streets; especially during this pandemic there is likely a large number of people who have or had reasonably good jobs who were doing well off falling into depression and overdosing, whether it be accidental or on purpose. Again, it is easy to just hear of overdose deaths in the city and attribute it to homeless people dying on the street, or to depressed people overdosing on purpose, but there is also a considerable amount of people who have fallen into opioid addiction who accidentally overdose and we should acknowledge that, my initial post was not meant to make a statement on the treatment of anyone in regards to the pandemic, just to remind people that a statistic like that is much much more complicated than one might initially think.

 

[TP2000]

San Francisco has done very very well containing the spread of the virus and that is why there are so few deaths from it. As for the drug overdose deaths, the fentanyl is laced in other drugs stemming from a much much larger issue of opioid abuse. I have written multiple essays on the opioid pandemic and fentanyl more specifically causing deaths. Yes there are drug addicts all over SF, but there are also drug addicts in small rural towns dying from fentanyl overdoses, SF has so many more because of the large population. People will get legit Xanax from a friend or from a doctor and become addicted, but sometimes their prescription runs out and can't get renewed and they have to turn to street drugs, and buy Xanax off the street. People selling these drugs on the street will cut legit Xanax with fentanyl to produce more bars to make more money, and the interaction between Xanax (among other drugs) and fentanyl is often deadly. These aren't only homeless people shooting up in the streets dying of drug overdoses, there are people with good paying jobs who have a home and a career who are dying of overdoses, not necessarily purposely from lockdown depression. The cases of drug overdoses have been rising for a very long time as a result of many different factors leading to worsening mental health.

Heck, this hits really close to home because of my brother I've mentioned on here before. Me and my two brothers grew up with the same situation, same schools, same parents, same household. Both of them have used drugs pretty extensively, and for a point both of them were addicted to Xanax. My mom has a prescription and uses it for her anxiety on rare occasions and I've had both my brothers take them from her and enjoying it, which kicked off their addictions. For a while they both used and both had access to actual prescribed Xanax from friends, but at some point my twin stopped and never went to street pills, but my older brother did while he lived on his own in LA for college. He still used up until his recent hospitalization, and I am convinced he got some laced pills at some point, not because of his seizure as that's not what fentanyl causes but he did not have access to prescribed pills and was getting them anywhere he could. Had my dad and I not gotten to my brother in time during his seizure a few weeks ago he could have easily been another number in the overdose statistic.

But he isn't homeless, shooting up in the street with government provided needles. But he would count in the same statistic as them. Basically I am trying to say that while yes there is clearly a rampant drug problem in SF and there is tons of it on the streets it is not exclusive to the streets and it is not exclusive to people shooting up in ditches, it includes my brother and the large large majority of people like him included in the statistic. This is a big problem that is multi-faceted, with some factors that might not even seem related, and I think many people (not saying you in specific) have an incorrect view on the problem. This affects people you would never expect it to, the drug overdose deaths we see constantly increasing come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and they do not discriminate. Heck, it doesn't even have to be addicts dying these deaths, there could be a person at a party who takes one pill that is pressed with fentanyl and is inexperienced with drugs and dies as a result of not being aware of what happens.

Again I am not trying to attack you, but I have been very passionate about this topic for years because of my personal involvement with it, and I just want to explain to you and anyone else reading that it can be easy to dismiss these 621 deaths as druggies in the streets who shoot up in a ditch and overdose but that is simply not the case, and it is not only in large cities. All across America people have been prescribed addictive, dangerous medicines and then their prescriptions run out and they go through withdrawals and have to turn to any alternative they can to get their hit so they can feel like they can function, and the huge amount of pressed pills on the streets is causing so many deaths so dealers can make a quick buck. This is why I personally believe in a system like Portugal where you decriminalize the consumption of drugs in order to ensure people who do take drugs are getting clean drugs that won't kill them. There are many studies on the results of Portugal's decriminalization of drug consumption and it has lead to less deaths and even less drug usage. People won't see drugs get decriminalized and think to themselves "well I'm gonna go out and try all these cool pills and powders" and those who are addicted to drugs do not have to rely on shady street transactions to get their drugs their bodies depend on and thus have fewer overdoses and even more access to programs to get sober and rehabilitate their citizens.

I appreciate your insight.

When I was up in the Northwest for Thanksgiving, I actually spoke at length with a young relative's wife about all this, which is why it was on my mind enough to mention it. What does this highly educated young lady do, you might ask? She manages the Multnomah County needle exchange program that runs the system for Portland, distributing thousands of drug needles per day on the now desolate and freshly destroyed streets of downtown Portland.

We had quite a chat, as you can imagine.

And yet a small businesswoman trying to run a hair salon or a corner restaurant has been closed and is vilified as a Covid superspreader by the politicians and bureaucrats that run her life and regulate her income. But they'll give Virtue Signaling comfort and free supplies to the homeless drug addicts who now live on the front steps of her closed business, and the politicians will also Tweet about it so we all know that they are better people than we are.

To so many honest, hardworking taxpayers who just try to play by the rules for decades of work, it makes absolutely no sense. The government closes down the business owners, kicks them when they are down, and uses absolutely no Science & Data to publicly vilify them in the media as Covid superspreaders not worthy of empathy.

There's no good reason why Carthay Circle can't serve tapas on their patio or Naples can't serve pizzas on their huge terrace this Christmas season. There is no Science & Data that proves that spreads Covid any more than Elias & Co. selling Chinese made sweatshirts, Goofy hats, and coffee mugs that no one actually needs.

But while honest businesses are closed during the most profitable month of the year, at least the City of Anaheim isn't passing out free heroin needles to the addicts living in the Harbor Blvd. bus stops outside Disneyland. Yet.

The Sunday before Christmas, sunny and 80 degrees in Anaheim, and Downtown Disney is "dead".

 

[smooch]

I appreciate your insight.

When I was up in the Northwest for Thanksgiving, I actually spoke at length with a young relative's wife about all this, which is why it was on my mind enough to mention it. What does this highly educated young lady do, you might ask? She manages the Multnomah County needle exchange program that runs the system for Portland, distributing thousands of drug needles per day on the now desolate and freshly destroyed streets of downtown Portland.

We had quite a chat, as you can imagine.

And yet a small businesswoman trying to run a hair salon or a corner restaurant has been closed and is vilified as a Covid superspreader by the politicians and bureaucrats that run her life and regulate her income. But they'll give Virtue Signaling comfort and free supplies to the homeless drug addicts who now live on the front steps of her closed business, and the politicians will also Tweet about it so we all know that they are better people than we are.

To so many honest, hardworking taxpayers who just try to play by the rules for decades of work, it makes absolutely no sense. The government closes down the business owners, kicks them when they are down, and uses absolutely no Science & Data to publicly vilify them in the media as Covid superspreaders not worthy of empathy.

There's no good reason why Carthay Circle can't serve tapas on their patio or Naples can't serve pizzas on their huge terrace this Christmas season. There is no Science & Data that proves that spreads Covid any more than Elias & Co. selling Chinese made sweatshirts, Goofy hats, and coffee mugs that no one actually needs.

But while honest businesses are closed during the most profitable month of the year, at least the City of Anaheim isn't passing out free heroin needles to the addicts living in the Harbor Blvd. bus stops outside Disneyland. Yet.

The Sunday before Christmas, sunny and 80 degrees in Anaheim, and Downtown Disney is "dead".

As I said in my response to @Darkbeer1 I definitely agree with you, I don't see why these restaurants in DCA or DtD can't be open currently with outdoor dining, I guess I just don't understand where the whole needle distribution part comes in. Yes there have been many more overdose deaths in SF in specific like you mentioned than there have been COVID deaths, but that overdose number has also been rising every year and while I do think there have been an increase in overdoses as a result of depression from the effects of the pandemic I think this whole needle exchange system is unrelated to our discussion. The topic of housing and providing homeless people with drugs to protect them from the pandemic is more relevant to the discussion. In an ideal world there wouldn't be a need for the needle exchange programs, but the reality is they are important in preventing the death of these people who are still people, yes at the end of the day it is their own fault for using those drugs and taking the risks associated with them, but I don't think that means we shouldn't attempt to mitigate these deaths, I view the exchanges as a social welfare system.

I do believe there is a right to be mad and feel like the government has not helped the American people and has in fact hurt them throughout this pandemic, there has been no actual action and the rules change at the drop of a dime and those changes can cost employers thousands of dollars immediately and restrict cash flow for even longer. I absolutely believe we should be angry at the state / local governments for their lack of meaningful action to provide assistance to the working people who have had their livelihoods destroyed by the pandemic, I just feel like this notion of the needle exchange still going while others suffer is irrelevant / shouldn't be a topic brought up within this discussion. As I said before I think the decriminalization route would be more effective and would include programs like needle exchanges along with more systems that would cost more money, the problem is that as a country we receive very little assistance from the government, pandemic or no pandemic, so when you see something like the government giving homeless people needles to shoot up safely you may feel like they care more for the homeless than they do for you, but I think this is indicative of a bigger problem in the country in the lack of meaningful government assistance for the working class. Even without a pandemic you could argue these needle exchanges take up resources that could be spent on other problems like families working multiple jobs being unable to provide food and housing despite people working hard and doing everything they can given their position, the government just isn't doing as much as they really can to help people and it is being highlighted from the pandemic. I wish to see meaningful change in my lifetime in this regard, to see the government begin to actually begin to provide relief to the American people who need it who aren't lazy and just trying to collect welfare without working, I want to see families with parents working 2 jobs not have to worry if they can afford to put food on their table at the end of the day, or if someone is laid off and is between jobs I want them to not have to worry about starving or not being able to afford their medication, I believe we agree on a good amount of this discussion, but I think the idea of the government not doing enough during the pandemic is just a problem we have had already that some people did not recognize that has now been highlighted due to the economic effects of the pandemic.

 

[TP2000]

Southern California likely to remain on stay-home orders, Gov. Newsom says

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths have skyrocketed around the region recently.

www.ocregister.com

The regional stay-at-home order affecting Southern California until Monday Dec. 28 will likely be extended, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a midday briefing from his residence where he was quarantining.
Newsom was said to have entered a 10-day mandatory quarantine after a staffer tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Based upon all the data and these current trend lines, it’s very likely we will extend the stay at home order,” Newsom said.

One of the things I find most entertaining about our Sacramento betters is their ability to completely bend the English language to mean things it does not. For instance, the current statewide "curfew" and "Stay-At-Home Order", neither of which are actually a curfew or an order to remain at home.

Stores and businesses are all operating well past the 10pm curfew. Malls like Downtown Disney that sell nothing but non-essential luxuries and fripperies that no one actually needs are all operating and encouraging people to leave their homes to partake in cupcakes and Yoda dolls and flip-flops. None of that is essential to anyone.

And yet Newsom and his ilk continue to belch forth press releases and official statements as if their chosen words actually have a meaning. There is no curfew, and no one is staying at home in the busy shopping week before Christmas.

But, there we are. Words and Tweets and more words, that all really mean nothing.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Nobody is staying home in SoCal. Joke's on him.

 

[Disney Irish]

Southern California likely to remain on stay-home orders, Gov. Newsom says

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths have skyrocketed around the region recently.

www.ocregister.com

The regional stay-at-home order affecting Southern California until Monday Dec. 28 will likely be extended, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a midday briefing from his residence where he was quarantining.
Newsom was said to have entered a 10-day mandatory quarantine after a staffer tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Based upon all the data and these current trend lines, it’s very likely we will extend the stay at home order,” Newsom said.

There is no curfew, and no one is staying at home in the busy shopping week before Christmas.

Hmm, might be the reason due to LA County is now AVERAGING over 13k new cases daily when just last month it was averaging 1300.

I mean just last week LA County hit 21k new cases, but I'm sure there is no direct correlation between people ignoring the stay at home orders and the huge spike in new cases. Oh and your beloved OC also saw a 10x increase in cases going from 300 new cases daily last month to now averaging over 3k daily this month. But I'm sure that has nothing to do with people ignoring the stay at home orders either.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

No one I know knows anyone who has it or has been bedridden or killed as a result of it in recent history. I continue to go out every day into the Chinavirus Frontier to work. Can't just stay home and lose my paychecks. Where's my vaccine dosage? Looks like a 31 year old congresswoman who can Skype for work has gotten it to show off on social media, but this Frontline Essential Worker still hasn't even been offered it.

 

[Darkbeer1]

No one I know knows anyone who has it or has been bedridden or killed as a result of it in recent history. I continue to go out every day into the Chinavirus Frontier to work. Can't just stay home and lose my paychecks. Where's my vaccine dosage? Looks like a 31 year old congresswoman who can Skype for work has gotten it to show off on social media, but this Frontline Essential Worker still hasn't even been offered it.

The Vaccine should first go to those most at risk, Those in Nursing Homes or 75 years of age or older.

Not to politicians and Social Influencers. Let them go to Nursing Homes and create Photo/Video/Audio ops, showing the Nursing Home Residents getting a shot!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Hmm, might be the reason due to LA County is now AVERAGING over 13k new cases daily when just last month it was averaging 1300.

I mean just last week LA County hit 21k new cases, but I'm sure there is no direct correlation between people ignoring the stay at home orders and the huge spike in new cases. Oh and your beloved OC also saw a 10x increase in cases going from 300 new cases daily last month to now averaging over 3k daily this month. But I'm sure that has nothing to do with people ignoring the stay at home orders either.

The issue is unofficial Social gatherings, where few, if any, wear mask or observe 6 feet distancing.

Operating restaurants, shops, malls, museums, casinos, etc. were they do temperature checks, require mask wearing (exception of eating/drinking while keeping the 6 foot distance), social distancing, etc. is NOT spreading COVID, as proven in multiple courts.

Yes, good luck going to East LA or South LA to stop these neighborhood parties. (Yes, LAPD/LASD is trying to find and stop Super Spreader events). But then, laws in those areas tend to not be followed more often in general.

But why punish the Law Abiding residents of California? As we are seeing, these folks, after seeing the Politicians breaking their own rules, are now operating when the current rules don't allow it.

If being in close quarters are bad, why are planes being allowed to operate?

The rules don't make sense.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The issue is unofficial Social gatherings, where few, if any, wear mask or observe 6 feet distancing.

What bull. You and yours keep encouraging people to engage in this very sort of activity.

Operating restaurants, shops, malls, museums, casinos, etc. were they do temperature checks, require mask wearing (exception of eating/drinking while keeping the 6 foot distance), social distancing, etc. is NOT spreading COVID, as proven in multiple courts.

Courts have proven nothing. A judge is not a scientist nor is a court ruling anywhere near comparable to actual scientific research.

But why punish the Law Abiding residents of California? As we are seeing, these folks, after seeing the Politicians breaking their own rules, are now operating when the current rules don't allow it.

Californians will be punished when they are turned away from medical care.

 

[Disney Irish]

The issue is unofficial Social gatherings, where few, if any, wear mask or observe 6 feet distancing.

Operating restaurants, shops, malls, museums, casinos, etc. were they do temperature checks, require mask wearing (exception of eating/drinking while keeping the 6 foot distance), social distancing, etc. is NOT spreading COVID, as proven in multiple courts.

Yes, good luck going to East LA or South LA to stop these neighborhood parties. (Yes, LAPD/LASD is trying to find and stop Super Spreader events). But then, laws in those areas tend to not be followed more often in general.

But why punish the Law Abiding residents of California? As we are seeing, these folks, after seeing the Politicians breaking their own rules, are now operating when the current rules don't allow it.

If being in close quarters are bad, why are planes being allowed to operate?

The rules don't make sense.

Its the cross mixing of households that is causing the rise is cases. That can be at ANY location, whether a private party or a Downtown LA restaurant. The moment you spend time with someone outside your own household you risk catching and then spreading COVID. And then that spread can lead to overwhelming the hospitals and then deaths as a result of the lack of capacity at hospitals. Its a domino effect.