Only Social Darwinians Worry About the Harm Caused by COVID-19 Lockdowns, Andrew Cuomo Says. The point of shutting down the "nonessential" economy, New York's governor explains, is to "save lives, period, whatever it costs."

Reason ^ | March 24, 2020 | Jacob Sullum

[karpov]

Anyone who was looking for some assurance that politicians are giving appropriate weight to the potentially devastating economic impact of aggressive COVID-19 control measures will not find it in New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's comments at his press conference today. "We're not going to put a dollar figure on human life," said Cuomo (D), who last Friday announced that "we're all in quarantine now" while ordering all "nonessential" businesses to close. The goal, he explained, is to "save lives, period, whatever it costs."

In a world of finite resources, where government agencies routinely and appropriately weigh the cost of potentially lifesaving regulations, that attitude is utterly irrational. Worse, Cuomo portrayed concerns about the millions of Americans who have been deprived of their livelihoods by lockdowns like his as cruel indifference to the fate of Americans who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of their age or pre-existing medical conditions.

"My mother is not expendable, and your mother is not expendable, and our brothers and sisters are not expendable," Cuomo said when asked about "conservatives" who have noted the heavy burdens imposed by sweeping restrictions on movement, business operations, and work. "And we're not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable."

Here is what lockdown skeptics are really saying, according to Cuomo: "We'll just sacrifice old people; they're old people anyway. And the old get left behind….We're going to move on, and if you can't keep up, well, you just fall by the wayside of life." He described their philosophy as "some modern, Darwinian theory of natural selection."

That interpretation is not just uncharitable; it is cruel in its own way, treating the human costs of shutting down the "nonessential" economy, which fall disproportionately on people of modest means, as a minor consideration

[karpov]

Life expectancy is longer in rich countries because people can afford better food and health care and can demand higher safety standards at work. Shutting down large segments of the economy, even those deeemed "non-essential", will cause deaths, and politicians should be aware of the tradeoffs.

[SunkenCiv]

• New York Hospitals Treating Coronavirus Patients With Vitamin C
• New York hospitals treating coronavirus patients with vitamin C

[Robert A Cook PE]

“Except abortions. We MUST continue to perform abortions in crowded abortion clinics using scarce healthcare PPE and wipes and instruments.”

[the OlLine Rebel]

I think it totally depends on the crisis.

While I am concerned, this is NOT the Black Plague.

Get some Black Plague, and I’ll totally agree we need to shut it down.

[blue state conservative]

If Gov Cuomo really wants to save lives why doesn’t he lower the speed limit on the freeways to 10 mph?

[Texas Eagle]

And we're not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable."

Says the man whose political party funds the traffickers of baby body parts.

[ronnie raygun]

What ever the cost, think about that! Do you think the pompus a## would be saying that if Obama was in office or another rat criminal? This is a way for these rat gov to delay as much as possible so the economy tanks and the blame it on trump. The actions of these rat gov across this country are all the same which leads me to believe they’re working in concert, scumbags

[2banana]

When city, county and state budgets collapse and police, EMT and firemen are laid off...

How many deaths from that?

[wastoute]

“The Brack Prague.”

[Buckeye McFrog]

Except abortions. We MUST continue to perform abortions

Bingo. THAT is the petard Trump is going to hoist them on in this campaign.

[chuckee]

New York City has a population density problem when it comes to Covid 19 and that is why they have more than 50% of the national cases in the NYC metro area. The solution is not to quarantine them but to alleviate the population density by shipping them to China, not Florida, where they may also be more politically compatible too.

[stanne]

Is t New York running into bankruptcy?

[wastoute]

Stone Age Mortalities. A number of potential outcomes here lead to “Stone Age”. The one we are on is trying to avoid that.

[euram]

“save lives, period, no matter what it costs”

Sounds suspiciously like “we have to destroy the village in order to save it”.

[gibsonguy]

New York’s governor explains, is to “save lives, period, whatever it costs.”

This is where we are. The rats will be increasing the slamming of Trump for “putting money ahead of the Lives of Americans”. The rats want a total collapse of the economy because they think it will bring Trump down. That fact that millions will suffer is irrelevant. When they say any means necessary they mean it.

[Empire_of_Liberty]

Sounds like the much-touted Cuomo is just about 3 weeks behind Trump.

[wastoute]

Not to denigrate the Stone Age. There are artisans out there who sell Obsidian Blade knives right now. Some have been found that are thousands of years old and “still sharp”. Steel can’t make that claim.

[Socon-Econ]

Cuomo’s rule while Trump is President: shut down whatever HE thinks is nonessential whenever somebody — doesn’t matter how many, how old they are, or whether they have preexisting conditions — can die from a communicable disease.

[ronnie raygun]

what ever the cost, you don’t here this arrogant pompus a## talking about babies aborted do you, a lying sack.....!

[headstamp 2]

[[[And we’re not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable.]]]

Says the governor of infanticide.