At the risk of alienating EVERYONE.
I haven't been writing down my thoughts the past few months because I'm just frustrated. I was hoping by now the election would be over and I could talk openly without getting harassed by people in my own party.
I'm extremely frustrated that we are 9/10 months into this virus and we are still fighting about the exact same exact shit. This whole thing has just turned into a fuck you - no FUCK YOU - match. And I get it. As a Republican in CaliforniaI understand being mistreated by the other side. But the last few months ~our~ side has just been obnoxious. And I can't figure out who they belong to. Never Trumpers, anti vaxers, tea party. I'm not sure. But, Trump was the only candidate that could have pulled from both parties, and this behavior turned a lot off people. No one could have possibly believed the virus was a hoax and that it was going away without a vaccine. Right? It defies common sense! Everyone could see with their stupid eyes this wasn't going away.
For a group that talks about their "freedom" to not wear a mask, it's become depressingly clear that property rights are completely dead. I wouldn't dream of stepping on someones' property and not abiding by their rules. And I guess I feel like if you think wearing a mack infringes on your freedom, you don't quite understand what freedom is about.
I'm honestly pissed that Trump didn't get out in front of this virus issue and say - this virus is serious, but thankfully manageable. Do the responsible thing. That he even let this be a talking point for the Dems is fucking irritating. The whole thing has been a fucking distraction that could have been used to beat Biden around the head about selling America out to every other fucking nation. I honestly didn't even think this guy had a chance. And yes I do believe in voter fraud. Every single person believes in voter fraud until their guy is winning. If he just would have told people to follow protocols, we could have all voted in person.
And then finally.... if Trump doesn't prevail with recounts, not a single person on earth has been talking about this economy. It's like we are living a fever dream. Trump has thrown everything financially at this economy including the kitchen sink. I would dare say that he has printed more money than Obama now and it is so deeply irritating because if people would just fucking stop acting out we could try to get back to some type of normal. I railed at Obama for eight fucking years over this kind of money printing. And now people just think it's normal. Bush really did destroy capitalism.
Biden is never going to be able to reproduce the enthusiasm that Trump is able to produce. What financial runway does he even have?! And he gets to try to shut down the country because people couldn't fucking act right.
"I wouldn't dream of stepping on someones' property and not abiding by their rules."
ReplyDeleteTo what extent is this entire mask thing one way or the other another version of the non-aggression principle debate?
To what extent is someone's following the precautionary principle or not following it just another form of virtue signaling?
I don't care one way or another, because I found a hacky way to keep coronaviruses from replicating.
That's worked great for avoiding travel-related colds and seasonal colds.
"If [Trump] just would have told people to follow protocols, we could have all voted in person."
This idea of the United States being a command-and-control economy and country is somewhat amusing ...
... like this idea of getting everyone to vote. *snort*
But of course the real reason was that there was always going to be fraud, and that this ballot by mail fraud was such a tempting vector that the people who used it went way beyond their goals to the point that fraud investigators see obvious and multiple forms of fraud.
So if you really want Trump to win, you'll understand that this ongoing negotiation with ballots, courts, and results is also part of the swamp draining process.
I did check to see if anyone registered in my name to vote, and I'm still not a voter in Florida, Washington, Wyoming, or Texas, so at least there's that.
"... I would dare say that [Trump] has printed more money than Obama now ..."
Told you that Trump really does understand MMT about as much as AOC, didn't I.
But I like this higher silver price point though because it means my house is already paid for.
And I like this game where I can cycle silver trades through gold, palladium, platinum, rare coins, and so on, especially since these fall into the non-reportables classes.
So go ahead America, keep that money printer going BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. :-)
"People have it in their power right now to make things better ..."
Sometimes you have to burn a bridge in order to build a new one.
What America has is an onerous system of taxes, laws, and regulations, and mask wearing just happens to be one too many over the line for a lot of people.
People could perhaps try to understand how this came about, maybe even try to de-escalate the situation, maybe even have the power to make that situation better and not just bearable ...
But that's not really going to happen, is it?
And that's why I wanted out, because The Second American Civil War is inevitable.
Now the way I see it, the faster that America's imperium burns, the faster that Switzerland and a lot of other countries can be rid of American meddling in their financial systems.
It's FATCA compliance that was the reason I couldn't open bank accounts at certain Swiss banks.
Let's take that IRC 877 list and put it into perspective: my guess is that everyone on that list has a net worth of at least 50 million USD and matching income that means they're over the five year tax reporting levels, and that no amount of moving the books around with non-reportables, shell companies, and so on could change that.
So what if it's just a few hundred people every year?
Let's say it's 800 people, let's take the 50 million USD level, and let's multiply them.
That's 40 billion USD in goodwill that the onerous system of taxes, laws, and regulations sends looking for another home.
Based on talking with some people who are in the permanent expatriation assistance business, the real number of people leaving is at least ten times that much, especially since there are a lot of people who can figure out how to avoid the IRC 877 list with some help.
I find 100 billion USD per year to be totally believable in terms of what the US loses because of its onerous system of taxes, laws, and regulations that reaches out to strangle people who don't even reside in the country anymore.
Good job America! :-)
This foreign tax issue has always been a blind spot in both parties for a long time even before FATCA. Neither seems to understand that it would be desirable to keep these people as citizens.
DeleteNice to see you back Lab Manager!
DeleteI agree with both of you. I think it fell under the same category as corporations repatriating money. But Trump at least got that one through.
"So if you really want Trump to win, you'll understand that this ongoing negotiation with ballots, courts, and results is also part of the swamp draining process."
ReplyDeleteI hope so, but as of right now... this is looking very reminiscent of the whole Ron Paul thing. I will never vote third party again because of Ron Paul. And draining the swamp doesn't matter if the next guy is just going to come in and reverse everything. Like health care transparency. We were just starting to make progress. I am super frustrated. Turns out they could have given that anytime, they just didn't want to.
"Sometimes you have to burn a bridge in order to build a new one."
Sometimes indeed. But more often an opportunity is lost because you needed that bridge later in life. The world is a very small place now, and the chances that someone on that bridge you burnt will pop up later on in life are very good as well. I HATE sucking things up, but the past truly will haunt you.
"What America has is an onerous system of taxes, laws, and regulations, and mask wearing just happens to be one too many over the line for a lot of people.
And now you understand why I'm frustrated. Trump could have been talking about all the regulations he's cut. These dummies have no clue the things he's done to save their houses.
"People could perhaps try to understand how this came about, maybe even try to de-escalate the situation, maybe even have the power to make that situation better and not just bearable ..."
Yeah. I understand that. But this is the stupidest hill to die on. It's a little like Russian roulette. And at worst, it's a hostage situation. Your freedom doesn't supersede my freedom. I guess there are literally no true libertarians these days. Do no harm onto others and they should do no harm onto you.
Maybe they could get pissed at all those things UNDER the hill they chose to die on.
I don't necessarily regret voting for RP; he did expose that the GOP is just another farting self serving criminal enterprise. I've been meaning to go to one of his presentations before he dies. Lake Jackson is not that far fore me.
DeleteIts not going to go away WITH a vaccine either. Not immediately anyway. Even with a 90+% effective vaccine.
ReplyDeleteThe current measles vax is considered over 95% effective. It was created in the late 60's. They didn't declare measles eradicated in the USA till 2000, and we STILL have to deal with the occasional outbreak.
Not to mention that the TIME involved in creating enough doses of the vaccine to actually treat the entire USA. Never mind that we're going to be expected to export it too. Never mind that until we DO export it, or everyone else creates their own, the same virus is going to be running around the world and continuing to mutate till god only knows if the vaccine will even be effective.
And that assumes they can get people to TAKE the vaccine. Cause I sure as hell won't be taking a vaccine that was rushed through testing. There's WAY to many examples of vaccines and medications that turned out, in the long term, to have serious side effects.
So no, holding out for a vaccine to fix things isn't the solution. And neither is shutting down the world again. And masks are only effective as their usage, which is pretty damn bad even among mask insisters, even assuming you ignore all the previously done studies that say that masks aren't effective against viruses and diseases (I find it amazing how all the studies I can find that say masks ARE effective were suddenly started and completed AFTER the arrival of Covid).
So people need to figure out a way to cope, before their fears kill them, cause the way we're going is one hell of a downward spiral.
Yeah. Agree. It's going to take a LONG time to vaccinate the willing. We can't even keep toilet paper in stock! The resources we will need to make a vaccine for everyone in the world is crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think there are enough personality types that this will be fine. Lots of people are willing to be first. I will wait to see what happens. I am not anti vac or pro vax. I wasn't sure what I was, but I got my first flu shot this year.
"(I find it amazing how all the studies I can find that say masks ARE effective were suddenly started and completed AFTER the arrival of Covid). "
I think it's because we did all this research in the 1800's and thought the mask debate was settled and never thought we'd have to revisit it. Now people are it has to be 100% this, or 100% that. When it can be neither or a little bit of both. They are helpful but not perfect. I would honestly be happier if people just stopped touching things. But we are a very tactile animal.
I mean, if someone had cancer and to see them you had to wear a mask, no one would give that a second thought. They would be like - ~yeah of course~. But now we aren't sure.
I think people have been coping better than expected honestly. Most people ~are~ afraid to die. So it's not an unreasonable fear. You can't just tell them to stop it. The same way you can't just tell people stop being depressed. And for those of us that are protecting someone else with a comorbidity ( Mr S has Asthma) People have the right to be as fearful as they want. Maybe they feel that experiencing death makes you more depressed than being locked inside your house. Everyone else's mileage may vary.
If people want the old or those with a higher risk take themselves out of circulation to protect themselves, what difference is that from now? People with a higher risk are staying home. I mean, not me.. but. You are going to get a same result, so what difference does it make? I think it evens out mostly. Reducing the amount of people in circulation is the only thing that seems to work. Sadly.
There are studies dated ~2010 about that concluded that the average surgical mask might be only just barely better than useless. I'll admit that I only read the summary of those too, so maybe the new ones were actually better run after all (but I have my doubts).
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with someone deciding they are in a situation where they need to wear a mask for their own protection, and asking others to wear one while visiting. But the screaming mask mandates of "you have to do it ALL THE TIME to save grandma!!!!!" do more harm than good because they piss off folks who'd otherwise likely be polite about it.
I know, telling folks to "stop being afraid" isn't the solution either. But the constant fear that people are in is doing more harm than good, and I hold the media and the .GOV responsible for a large portion of it. They could be doing more to alleviate the fears instead of driving them. The constant "updates" for example, don't inform, cause really not that much changes from day to day, instead they drive fear. I'm FINALLY seeing a push about how things like vitamin D might actually be very useful in helping prevent this, but its still not mainstream and many of the folks obsessively watching this are still unaware of it.
I'm not anti-vax. I just have serious issues with the mad rush to get something on the market. Especially since even if they can get it on the market in the next 6 months its really not going to make a large difference in the next year. Except maybe to people's fear levels, but I expect the media will still drive that fear "dude was arrested for assault today, AND he wasn't on the Covid Vax list so he was spreading disease while he was at it".
And don't get me started on the proposed concepts for tracking who got the vaccine. I'd call them conspiracy theories, but even my state Governor was talking about how he didn't think this or that idea was a good idea. And considering that this is NY state, thats saying something.
The average surgical mask is for casual use. It just reduces spittle. But if I'm going to be trapped in a room with someone or in close quarters I upgrade to a kn95.
ReplyDeleteI personally am going by the viral load system. There are some studies that suggest that those "useless" masks reduce how much of the virus you are exposed to and could actually help with that "herd immunity shit". I don't have any studies. It's just the system I am using.
I've eaten inside restaurants twice over the past week, and they were right about at my people limit. I've seen how far the debris from your mouth can go. I was on the edge of being uncomfortable and am watching for symptoms.
"But the screaming mask mandates of "you have to do it ALL THE TIME to save grandma!!!!!" do more harm than good because they piss off folks who'd otherwise likely be polite about it."
I understand your sentiment, but would they? I've seen some of the videos and ~nothing~ makes some of that okay. If you really are being maligned, then it doesn't help your case to be more awful than what you are protesting.
My area is very mask complaint. But just two days ago I saw a OLD lady not wearing a mask. You know what I did!?
In my head I said - YOU? Okay. Your choice and then went on with my life. Gasp! I can still have an opinion though. Cant I? It's my blog.
"But the constant fear that people are in is doing more harm than good, and I hold the media and the .GOV responsible for a large portion of it. They could be doing more to alleviate the fears instead of driving them."
Agree. I would prefer if the government would be more consistent. Like, I guess I'm going into curfew. But it makes more sense to just break up large groups.
I was in Sonoma a week or so ago. While I was taking pictures of pompadour duck a lady told me that in the hight of lockdown she was feeding the ducks in the park and the popo was hassling her. These are the types of things that are not helpful and make people resentful.
But ultimately we are losing 2000 people a day again. It really is a dangerous time.
Totally your blog, totally your opinion! But you're also safe for me to argue with cause you're no where near me lol.
ReplyDeleteThing is, we're ALWAYS going to have idiots. And you really can't legislate away idiots. The ones being absolute assholes and spitting or coughing on people. They were going to be assholes anyway. It just would have been about something else. No matter how much you try you can't fix those with more laws. Education and letting life fix the problem is all you can do there. I mean, I'm not against throwing those idiots in jail if possible, but the fear of that happening doesn't stop them, therefor more laws aren't really the answer. I know, its all mandates, not laws. Close enough for the arguement.
Speaking of which, we have a pair of regular "customers". They almost never actually buy anything. They're both physically feeble, and can barely walk, or breathe. They both smoke. And 5 or 6 days a week they drive themselves to the store, each one takes one of the mobility scooters we have for customers, and they spend an hour or more driving up and down all the aisles. And at the height of the shutdown they were still doing it. I just shook my head.....
" But you're also safe for me to argue with cause you're no where near me lol."
ReplyDeleteIt's really the mildest of disagreements. As long as everyone stays respectful (and you are) things are fine. Life is boring if you surround yourself with people who only agree with you.
"No matter how much you try you can't fix those with more laws. Education and letting life fix the problem is all you can do there."
I have been on record since the very beginning that I didn't believe lockdowns work. Human nature makes you want to run. I'm not the one who wants to make laws. I think I've been pretty consistent.
I've merely been pointing out that in protecting your rights, you can't trample someone else rights. Which is what most of those people were doing.
I am however frustrated that there is one thing that can let us all mingle together and people just refuse. That is where I think that your rights don't override my rights. But ultimately - we do have idiots. And I have the right to ghost those idiots.
A lot of these people seem to be learning the hard way anyway- and that is definitely punishment enough. Usually these people take out members of their own family.
As long as they are people who actually suffer for their choices, and not others - I think this is natures way. I am fine with the world working that way. It just usually doesn't.