Personal Liberty

avatar for aham5
aham5
I've got a bad feeling about this.
All this talk of quarantine, lockdown, "social distancing " has me asking...... at what cost?

I don't mean to minimize the risk. This virus is going to kill a large number of people. With or without our intervention. We COULD make that number smaller with a lockdown.

BUT - the USA has long held that we dont impose on the liberties and freedom of the citizens. (Much)

One example is influenza vaccination. We dont force anyone to get it. We know if every eligible person got the vaccine, we would have less deaths. But people dont. People die because of this. Same can be said with pertussis (what's a few dead babies, right?) And soon measles.

The lockdown will decimate some people's businesses. Force all restaurant and bars to close in LA?

Is it right or wrong? I don't know.

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avatar for mjx01
mjx01
5 years ago
If you chose not to vaccinate and get sick that is self inflicted, and not enough people get hospitalized at the same time with regular flu etc. to overwhelm the health care system.

Except there is not (yet) a vaccine for wuhan. So, there's no self inflicting there and people who would protect themselves with a vaccine don't have that option. If million(s) get wuhan all at the same time it will be far worse then slowing it down and spreading it out.
avatar for grand1511
grand1511
5 years ago
Personal liberty does not allow you to drive as fast as you'd like. Government regulates speeds for the common good of public safety for everyone. This new virus that we don't know a lot about and have no medicines to control it with is similar.
avatar for whodey
whodey
5 years ago
Public safety is one of the few things that can outweigh personal liberty. If you don't believe me try yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater (once we have crowded theaters again) and see if the first amendment protects your personal liberty.
avatar for Hank Moody
Hank Moody
5 years ago
@mjx01 “ If you chose not to vaccinate and get sick THAT IS SELF INFLICTED, and not enough people get hospitalized at the same time with regular flu etc. to overwhelm the health care system.”

I think you fell short of the point. Vaccinations aren’t just for you, they are to protect everyone. E.g., all of the anti-vaxxers foregoing measles vaccines. Sure, if their kids get measles their parents chose that risk. But what about other people’s kids? Children under 1 year old CANNOT get measles vaccines. So, while an anti-vaxxer chose for him/herself to not get their kid vaccinated, they also put someone else at risk. That’s the larger point.

If you choose to not wash your hands or practice social distancing you are putting other people in jeopardy. (You selfish fucks.)
avatar for jackslash
jackslash
5 years ago
The anti-vaxxers like Jenny McCarthy won't be happy until they bring back polio.
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
5 years ago
At the risk of stating the obvious, people die all the time for all sorts of reasons. Safety at all costs is not an option for any society. Every time we make a decision to limit freedoms of choice, movement and/or commerce, it comes with a real cost. The hope is to find the right balance between saving more lives vs. imposing negative consequences upon a much larger number of people.

In the case of lockdowns, a lot of lives are going to be ruined. People are going to go broke from lack of income and businesses are going to fold. Even with temporary relief from things like evictions and electric bills, eventually those things will come due. Good luck waving tax credits at small business owners for use in paying employees when they have no cash on hand to make those payments.

Idk what the right answer is for places like NYC or L.A., but I'd also say that not every place has the same level of risk. It is my hope that each local and state government carefully considers the full range of potential impacts before acting in a panicky and knee jerk manner.
avatar for Uprightcitizen
Uprightcitizen
5 years ago
Maybe you should organize a protest? Tell us how that goes?
avatar for BBBC
BBBC
5 years ago
You are right rickdugan. I agree completely. We have other problems like the funding of social security. Old people are more susceptible to this and some of them may die. Not limiting movement of people may have some benefits like less social security to pay out. This will help society in the long run. Your parents and in laws be damned
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
5 years ago
^ LOL
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
5 years ago
Thanks BBBC, you have shown me the light. I now understand how unconscionable it is to put anyone at risk at any time by spreading germs. To be absolutely certain that I do not put anyone at risk moving, I'm going to turn my home into a bunker and stay there for the next 6-8 months. And during those rare instances where I must emerge for supplies, I will wear a hazmat suit every single time. After all, nothing is too much to ensure the safety and well being of every single elderly person in our population. ;)
avatar for BBBC
BBBC
5 years ago
Good idea rick, have fun with your hazmat suit! I will be over at yout moms house fucking her. Whenever you want to stop playing with your chemistey set, come on over. We can have a 3 way. I bet your mom will bake some cookies also 😉
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
5 years ago
^ Then you'll have to dig her up and I doubt that cookies are in the cards. What a twat. There was definitely a time when we had a much better class of troll on this site. Now it's just girls and old men pretending to be young ones and not doing a very good job of it.
avatar for BBBC
BBBC
5 years ago
That is not how you should be talking about your mom! Calling her a twat is uncalled for
avatar for ATACdawg
ATACdawg
5 years ago
And don't forget to cut off your internet access! You don't want to catch a computer virus......😖
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
5 years ago
Santa Clara County is pretty much on lock down!

Also they seem to have stopped updating the cases and death record. Why, I know not.

https://www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/Disease…

Democracynow today, talking about Corona, then analysis of Biden-Sanders debate.

https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2020/…

SJG
avatar for 3131
3131
5 years ago
I predict..... there will be an increase in suicides after the fallout of social distancing and the financial crisis. This increase ( over prior years) will outnumber deaths from COVID19.
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
5 years ago
Stock Market Crash is Salvific. And the more speculator suicides the better. They are the real illiness, not corona.

SJG
avatar for rickthelion
rickthelion
5 years ago
Testify rick, testify!

A few days ago I was talking to rickthearmadillo - rickadillo, if you will - and he was complaining about the way you stupid ape curl up in fear like a damn (non-rick) armadillo.

rickadillo don’t play at that curling up in a ball due to fear shit. He only curls up in a ball when the council plays bocce. And then only after a sufficient number of rickaritas. ROAR!!!
avatar for Uprightcitizen
Uprightcitizen
5 years ago
Where is Rickthepangolin and his right not to be eaten? This is quite a comeuppance. Cosmic justice?
avatar for mark94
mark94
5 years ago
Never let a crisis go to waste. Just look at the Coronavirus Bill and its pork laden provisions. Some communities are trying to ban gun sales ostensibly because of CoVid. The CDC PREVENTED private companies from developing and manufacturing tests while the public screamed for them. We’re from the government. We’re here to help.
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