Elon Musk : "Free America now"

[NCgaga 4,345]

There is something some of you aren’t grasping: countries cannot stay closed for long. They have to have running businesses. Why? Let’s say you are on furlough- meaning you’ve been temporarily laid off while the virus is peaking, only to come back when the virus is at a safer level of containment- or that’s the plan. Yes you feel safe at home because you aren’t out and about risking your health being around other people. You are also getting unemployment for now. You are good. Fast forward to July- your unemployment is coming to an end. Your company isn’t bringing you back because they have had to restructure due to financial loss during the pandemic and lockdowns. You are now jobless. Lots of people on unemployment will have nothing to go back to because their companies are folded and went bankrupt under the financial hardship. You felt safe for a few months? But now your world is turned upside down because you company could not make enough money to sustain your benefits or even your job. Yes we wish the companies were better prepared. Yes we hope companies and the govt learn from this nightmare. But the longer things stay closed, the longer this nightmare gets for everyone.   
 

In the USA states have been left to their own devices to handle the coronavirus as needed. States in America are basically individual smaller countries with their own government. For example: most states aren’t anywhere near the hardship that NY and New Jersey are facing. It’s much harder to spread in most states due to the lack of dense populations and the fact that the majority of  American people do not use public transportation. The majority of American towns and communities are car-centric and yard-centric. Meaning people have their own transport and enough space to already isolate. There is a good advantage there. 
 

That being said- states like North Carolina have plans to reopen in phases- a gradual process to increase the safety. But we as individuals have to take all precautions. Wear masks, carry hand sanitizer, keep your hands washed. If you are at higher risk, take higher precautions. But the economy can’t just stop indefinitely. Hospitals will shut down, farms will shut down, huge businesses, corporations, restaurant chains will shut down. All these employees will have no where to work, and poverty will sky rocket. 
 

We have to be smart about this. 

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2 minutes ago, Florin said:

Money = food, healthcare 

People here don't eat? How they cant understand how important is the economy? 

My theory is either they live with family and aren’t paying their own bills, are in countries that are helping people more than the US is, or are just really young and don’t understand how the economy is connected to literally everything. So then being shutdown indefinitely doesn’t seem like as big of a deal 

[Florian 20,017]

51 minutes ago, Florin said:

I think only Spain and Italy had tougher lockdowns than US. 

France too  

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7 minutes ago, ALGAYDO said:

Gee if only the government had enough money to take care of its citizens during a pandemic and economic crisis. Too bad we waste most of it on the military industrial complex, easing taxes in the rich and the wealthy, and bailing out corporations. Oh well! I guess we just have to let people die of either starvation or by a virus. But at least the corporations will be okay!!!!!!! 

I am in no way defending the US’s over bloated military budget. But the middle of a pandemic isn’t the time to restructure the economy when it’s barely existing right now to begin with

After we get through this, they should rethink the national budget to prepare for stuff like this and stop wasting money on things like our pointlessly massive military and tax cuts for billionaires. They won’t, but they should 

Also—it’s not about the damn corporations 

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9 minutes ago, NCgaga said:

most states aren’t anywhere near the hardship that NY and New Jersey are facing. It’s much harder to spread in most states due to the lack of dense populations and the fact that the majority of  American people do not use public transportation

My county has about 525k people and we’ve had a total of 350 cases. It’s ridiculous that we’re shut down to the extent we are 

[RahrahWitch 6,985]

Wbk he's Trash.

Honestly him and his following of edge lords are something else.

[Diamond heart99 5,262]

We need to stop trolling everyone who doesn’t want to stay locked up indefinitely.

Two things can be true: this is a serious illness that needed some type of strict quarantine measurements AND it’s time to end them.

California’s Governor released his bullish!t plan - which basically keeps up locked up until there is a vaccine. That is really f*cking scary and it’s not based on science.

This has become a pissing contest with red state Governors and Donald Trump and I’m not here for it. 

To those about to scream at me BUT THE NUMBERS IS CALIFORNIA WENT UP!! 

Yeah - in prisons, jails and nursing homes. We should have the means to contain it in those places by now. 

I am absolutely livid that people think the opposite or ring wing conspiracy theory idiot protestors is to just stay home forever! 

[NCgaga 4,345]

9 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

My county has about 525k people and we’ve had a total of 350 cases. It’s ridiculous that we’re shut down to the extent we are 

Social distancing worked. Shutting down worked. This is why numbers are so low in areas where people are prone to already being isolated(having yards, having their own cars, etc). 
 

Now, gears have to shift to effectively and systematically opening local economies. Every state will have to do this independently and decide the best route for their population, their cases etc. 

This is not going to be easy, but it’s not going to be overwhelmingly hard either. Our day to day will be different for the next year until a proper vaccine is released. We will have to be responsible. Wearing masks, sanitizing, washing our hands. Making responsible decisions to be in crowds. Being extremely careful with how we interact with our at risk friends and family. Changes will have to be made on a personal behavioral level for everyone until vaccine is readily availible. We can do it, it will be different, but we can do it. 

[Chromatic Lover 868]

7 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

My county has about 525k people and we’ve had a total of 350 cases. It’s ridiculous that we’re shut down to the extent we are 

The reason it's probably so low is because of the shut down 

[Diamond heart99 5,262]

You guys claim to be interesting in science except refuse to realize that a vaccine MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN. 
 

BEST CASE is 18 months. So a year from now California is entirely jobless and homeless and looking like Venezuela- will a vaccine even matter?

I think people are determined to make the government tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists correct. 

[NCgaga 4,345]

3 minutes ago, Diamond heart99 said:

You guys claim to be interesting in science except refuse to realize that a vaccine MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN. 
 

BEST CASE is 18 months. So a year from now California is entirely jobless and homeless and looking like Venezuela- will a vaccine even matter?

I think people are determined to make the government tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists correct. 

Well let’s be realistic here. Best case is no longer 18 months. More like a year, and possibly even less. Restrictions on the length of trials have been lessoned. Some of the trial vaccines are already working- in fact now its becoming a race to see whose get marketed first. So far Oxford University is in the lead. 

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1 minute ago, Chromatic Lover said:

The reason it's probably so low is because of the shut down 

Sure it would be higher if there was no shutdown, but we’re not densely populated, not very many people use public transportation, etc. We’re already pretty distanced and wouldn’t have had a massive outbreak. The state as a whole is well past our peak, and even sent hundreds of ventilators to NY because we don’t need them and never hit hospital capacity anywhere. Our governor is going to extend restrictions next week when the current ones end, which is stupid. We need to start gradually opening things back up 

[Diamond heart99 5,262]

1 minute ago, NCgaga said:

Well let’s be realistic here. Best case is no longer 18 months. More like a year, and possibly even less. Restrictions on the length of trials have been lessoned. Some of the trial vaccines are already working- in fact now its becoming a race to see whose get marketed first. So far Oxford University is in the lead. 

Yeah - that’s why I said A YEAR as some time has already shed off the 18 months. 
 

But this is not sustainable until then. We don’t have to be Sweden about it - but we need more that Blue State Governors are willing to give now because they hope to run for President in 2024. 

[Bt1 5,213]

1 minute ago, NCgaga said:

Well let’s be realistic here. Best case is no longer 18 months. More like a year, and possibly even less. Restrictions on the length of trials have been lessoned. Some of the trial vaccines are already working- in fact now its becoming a race to see whose get marketed first. So far Oxford University is in the lead. 

It can go either way. We can have it in 6 months or 4 years or never. We dont know. 

[Mister G 10,512]

1 hour ago, Florin said:

I think only Spain and Italy had tougher lockdowns than US. 

The US never had a steady lockdown at the national level. Trump made social distancing a national recommendation and the CDC recommended the use of face coverings, but that was it. Everything was left to the discretion of each state’s governor, and some states never even enforced a stay-at-home order. Embarrassing that we have the highest confirmed case count and death count but hey we gotta win at something even if it’s losing lives right 

As far as the comments about a vaccine, I have a strong feeling a vaccine will be made available relatively soon...but at a price because we all know it’s a competition and it’s going to be distributed by the highest bidder. If your health insurance will cover it, great but for people who have horrible coverage or none at all they’ll lose out even more.