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Why Accepting Two Million COVID-19 Deaths May be Better Than a National Lockdown
American Thjinker.com ^ | April 5, 2020 | Selwyn Duke

Posted on 04/05/2020 6:08:16 AM PDT by Kaslin

We’ve heard much during the Wuhan flu crisis about a “worst case scenario” of two million dead Americans, a staggering number. But missing from the national conversation is something equally important:

What’s the worst case scenario given our present course of action, largely locking down the country and freezing life like an insect stuck in amber?

What if worse coming to worst means a great depression, a descent into tyranny, millions more dead from other causes and a permanently impoverished nation?

Almost the entire virus debate has centered around whether the experts are correct about the infectivity and virulence of the disease and in their projections (which have often been drastically wrong). But even if we assume that the experts having the government’s ear — and there are dissenters who don’t — are absolutely inerrant in their expressed judgments, there’s a problem with just “listening to the health professionals’” prescriptions:

Like most everyone else, these individuals have only a narrow range of expertise; they are epidemiologists, virologists, infectious disease specialists, etc.

They are not epidemiologists-cum-philosophers/political scientists/sociologists/economists.

So they provide counsel on how to achieve a narrow goal contemplated from a narrow perspective. This is not a put-down. It is their job to do just that.

Congruent with this, these experts consider the health-related consequences of the disease, not the civilizational-health related consequences of their cure — which may be worse than the disease.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: wuhanflucrisis
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To: spacejunkie2001

Oh, come on. Vaccines are a blessing. (Maybe not when they are too rushed out there.)


141 posted on 04/05/2020 8:14:14 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: Kaslin

Taking this from a war perspective, there are three phases to winning a war.

1. Rapid defense to prevent being overwhelmed by the initial offensive

2. Organization of available resources to maximize effectiveness

3. Counter offensive to drive back the enemy and destroy their ability to continue the attack

The medical professionals did a good job of defining a defensive strategy that did blunt the overwhelming nature of the attacker.

The government in partnership with the private sector has done a good job of organizing and maximizing resources.

We have made no real effort to counter attack. We remain hunkered down behind defensive measures afraid to stand and fight.

We have multiple drugs identified as being effective weapons against the virus. What are we doing with them? We are playing around with debates and small clinical trials. That is totally defensive. We have over 300,000 confirmed cases. At least 50,000 of them should be on one of the drug regimens to show or disprove its effectiveness. Two weeks from today we could have an identified knockout weapon to totally defeat the enemy. Instead our current strategy will only flatten the curve, extending the time that we are under attack and our country suffers the devastating effects of the lock down.

The medical people did their job. The logistics people did their job. Now the generals need to do their job and lead a counter attack.


142 posted on 04/05/2020 8:18:36 AM PDT by CMAC51
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To: avenir

I’m a federal employee and your situation reminds me of the unfairness inherent in the furloughs/shutdowns. I’ve been through 5 of them over the past 25 years. For those who are considered “essential,” they have to show up and work. Can’t even take annual leave. For those considered “nonessential,” they get to stay at home (not supposed to travel though or take leave either as they can be called back any minute) and ultimately ALWAYS get back pay for that time.

Similar here for couriers and other essential workers—and with the added burden of being out there in the virus.

Still, better than unemployed.


143 posted on 04/05/2020 8:18:48 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: Redmen4ever

Thank you for the reminder—this is a nice post.


144 posted on 04/05/2020 8:21:18 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: sam_whiskey

nope, but I could be wrong.


145 posted on 04/05/2020 8:22:23 AM PDT by yldstrk (Bingo! We have a winner!)
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To: fuzzylogic

No matter how this turns out, they will blame Trump for any downside. What would interesting now (and more certainly later) is to lay these curves down over the H1N1 curves. If, in the end, they overlap. Then we will know we were once again “had” my the news media. My personal (And non-prifessional) opinion is thus is another, although more dangerous (no vaccine) flu.


146 posted on 04/05/2020 8:24:14 AM PDT by ThePatriotsFlag (Congress is not made up of leaders however they are representatives of their voters.)
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To: SmokingJoe
Yep. What if worse coming to worst means a great depression, a descent into tyranny, millions more dead from other causes and a permanently impoverished nation?
That is a deeply flawed, fear-mongering model designed to induce panic; otherwise, show me the accurate model where it played out exactly this way.

147 posted on 04/05/2020 8:25:21 AM PDT by GLDNGUN
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To: central_va

I think it’s possible to observe “quarantine” and “shelter in place” and “stay at home” without necessarily being a scared cornered animal.

I haven’t been out of my house since March 14th (other than daily walks around the neighborhood with my dog) and don’t feel scared or cornered at all.


148 posted on 04/05/2020 8:25:41 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: proud2beconservativeinNJ

Yes, I read that most Americans over say age 40 have hypertension and just don’t know it. No symptoms. So many of us have at least that co-morbidity for sure—and I think I read that was the #1 co-morbidity in Europe. The US’s #1 co-morbidity will be obesity and diabetes probably.


149 posted on 04/05/2020 8:28:29 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: ealgeone

I think duke should be the first volunteer.

This is the type of trash you expect from American Thinker and Townhall.


150 posted on 04/05/2020 8:30:56 AM PDT by Okeydoker
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To: olivia3boys

I’m an “essential” worker taking some precautions but others are scared silly .


151 posted on 04/05/2020 8:31:38 AM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isn't free)
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To: olivia3boys

“Still, better than unemployed.”

I agree, just for sanity’s sake. But the point remains that they either need to reward the “essentials” extra for showing up or risk them figuring out the jig is up and they are being played for fools as the new serfs, while the shut-ins collect more at home than they are, while risking infection to make the shut in culture possible.

This charade has to end soon, or the above issue and a multitude of others goes metastatic.


152 posted on 04/05/2020 8:31:48 AM PDT by avenir
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To: fuzzylogic

So there’s a 50% chance of dying anyway if one ends up needing a respirator, and a 75% chance of dying anyway if one ends up needing a ventilator.

I’ve read similar. I wish Fauci and Brix and Trump and others would make that data more clear but I guess it’s too depressing and fatalistic for grandmas and grandpas. Still, it would be nice if there was more transparency about this.


153 posted on 04/05/2020 8:32:20 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: Vermont Lt

Uh....what “numbers” did I spout?

I question all of them......


154 posted on 04/05/2020 8:33:13 AM PDT by Arlis
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To: fuzzylogic
Food for thought.
Way I see it, nothing is worth destroying the economy for.
A depression means more suicides, depression, despair etc. I am pretty sure that in another week or two a growing and increasingly vocal number of Americans are going to start demanding they they go back to work
155 posted on 04/05/2020 8:33:40 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: BuffaloJack

It is NOT funny that these same demons who want to de-populate the earth with their agenda 21 plan, want to close the country down, cause they want to save lives.

The fact is this is a pre-planned crisis to stop AMERICA and TRUMP from rising again, simple as that.


156 posted on 04/05/2020 8:33:50 AM PDT by Rebel Egg
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To: avenir

My husband works for a bank (his particular job can be done from home) and I know banks and others at least are starting to offer “hazard pay” or “bonus pay” for those essential workers who have to go out in public for their jobs. Hopefully more businesses will follow suit soon if they haven’t already.


157 posted on 04/05/2020 8:38:13 AM PDT by olivia3boys
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To: Pollard

What do people between 60 & 65 do?

How many can work from home?

If they can’t work, how do they pay their bills and pay for any medical issues?


158 posted on 04/05/2020 8:39:38 AM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: binreadin

binreadin wrote:

“Isn’t Italy revisiting its data and the way they have been classifying COVID-19 deaths? Even in our own country we are classifying people who actually died of heart disease or renal failure as COVID deaths if they also happen to test positive for the disease.”

Good point about the categorization.

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3831901/posts?page=1#1


159 posted on 04/05/2020 8:43:15 AM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: DAC21

True this. First time in my life I will accept unemployment after being furloughed.

Unemployment plus the stimulus unemployment money plus doing DoorDash can get me back to near where I was before this crisis.

Only thing certain loan companies have done during this virus is make payments online easier. They will not postpone payments. My overseas properties mortgage payments still need to be paid, as well as my overseas car payment ( here I drive a shit-mobile - fully paid off, but runs), as well as due to my wife being furloughed in her job, I need to send extra for the wife and kids. Originally planned to come here in June. Now a year delay, thanks to the US Embassy not processing Birth Abroad for Americans Citizens or Visas. My games development side business is sidelined as my overseas art asset development team is under martial law. Office closed, yet rent payments continue.


160 posted on 04/05/2020 8:44:46 AM PDT by Starcitizen (Communist China needs to be treated like the parish country it is. Send it back to 1971)
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