How should our government protect us without infringing too much on our freedoms?
Read the article titled (and linked) here:
After you have read the article, post your reaction as a comment. How should our government protect us without infringing too much on our freedoms? Where would you draw the line? Bookmark this blog site so that you can return to it easily. After you have posted your comment, react to one or two classmates' opinions. PLEASE be sure all comments are respectful.
I think that what the government has done so far is reasonable, however, I don't think it should go much farther than it already has. Social distancing and restrictions on meetings of more than 10 people are perfectly understandable, and perfectly doable thanks to the online resources available to us. But shutting down businesses and keeping everyone at home is a terrible idea. Society can't just stop. As a student that will be entering into the work force in the near future, I can't help but wonder what the economy is going to look like when I get there. If everything shuts down, it's going to be terrible, maybe a recession worse than back in 2008.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being the first student to comment Jonathan! Right now the unemployment rate is over 30% (Great Depression was 25%). You are right to be concerned, but this is temporary.... and how today is handled greatly impacts the speed with which we can get back to what "normal" is possible.
DeleteI think that the government should immediately take more action to prevent the spread of this virus. Although China's government is clearly much more infringing than ours, they did put a halt to the spread rather quickly. With the US now leading the world in most confirmed cases, I would love to see more action from the government to further shut down cities and states, possibly even the whole country for a period of time, as I would love to be able to finish my senior year of high school and also make sure my loved ones stay healthy.
ReplyDeleteSounds reasonable to me. I feel so bad for you guys in your senior year! So you agree that we should abide by the requirements to self isolate?
DeleteI believe that first priority of the US should be obviously working on developing a cure. Following closely behind that is informing the public, there is plenty of false information floating around causing panic where it is not needed. Panic isn't required but understanding the worlds situation along with our nation's is very important. At least for the QC area all I am seeing on snap chat and other socials is people not caring, believing that it is a fad or that "It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear” (Trump 2020). And hopefully the experts are wrong and the Presidents "hunch" pulls through but as of now that just isn't a realistic expectation where we should be focusing on containment and shutting things down. If we as a country think we have the resources to help the economy by pouring 1.5 trillion dollars into the stock market instead of using that money to help the citizens avoid eviction or use it to help people who were previously living check to check, then I don't think we should have an issue closing everything down for a month or two in order to help flatten the curve of cases. I also believe that the government, our leader in particular, should avoid lying to the best of his ability because in an interview with fox news he denies WHO's corona virus death rate based on “hunch", suggests it's fine for people with Covid-19 to go to work, and compares corona virus to "the regular flu," indicating he doesn't get the difference. Trump’s own infectious disease experts have said that idea is wrong. Dr. Fauci told Congress on March 11 that “the mortality of Covid-19 is multiple times what the seasonal flu is" going against what our leader has said. On February 25, Trump promised that a vaccine would be available soon. “Now they have it, they have studied it, they know very much, in fact, we’re very close to a vaccine,” Trump said during a state visit to India. This is not possible even if creating a vaccine was prioritized it would take at least a full year before a vaccine becomes widely available to the public. Trump previously claimed that the US is "the most prepared country in the world" but then shortly after proposed huge cuts to both the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. All of this misinformation and lies being put out to the public is making people believe that it isn't as bad as it really is. Just stay home as much as possible it so easy to do so. People who post on snap chat saying things like "Im not quarantined whos tryna hang?" are the same people that dont know how to wash their hands. Thank you if you read this far I know that was a lot haha.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points made Ty! And you are right - there are big differences of opinion as to what to do with that stimulus money - the bill the President signed yesterday. The compromise sets up a lot of oversight on how that ton of cash is being spent rather than just letting President's executive branch make those decisions. Loans to small businesses to enable them to continue to pay their employees while in isoloation, money to produce and distribute ventilators, are 2 examples. At the local level, riverboat grants have been distributed to local charities trying to address immediate needs of local citizens. 2 Davenport hotels have been filled with formerly homeless with those funds because the shelters couldn't keep the needy sufficiently distanced. There is some good news!
DeleteI believe that our government has taken the correct measures in helping slow down the spread of the virus. I think that the government could possibly go a little bit farther by putting some cities and even states on lock down where the people couldn't leave their houses unless they were getting medical treatment. I would draw the line with the government interfering, by completely shutting cities down. By shutting cities down, I believe that there will be an even bigger spike in unemployment claims and putting even more stress on the government. Also, I believe that by the government going so far to shut cities down it can hurt the local economies as well as the state's and country's economies because there would be less people working, so less of an income would be coming into households so they wouldn't be able to support themselves as well as they should be able too. Lastly, if more people get sick, including these unemployed people, more people will be put in an even harder financial situation because they won't be able to afford their medical bills that come from being sick.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough to balance economic impact with medical realities. That is exactly the biggest division between President Trump and many others advising the government.
DeleteI believe the government has taken certain much needed measures by enforcing social distancing, quarantine, and lock down of certain districts,states, and businesses, while that is a good idea and very necessary, I also feel they're forgetting the people that have no home and are facing eviction and financial struggle because of the virus causing panic. Due to businesses being shut down, people are being laid off and/or having to settle for receiving unemployment while attempting to provide for a full family. Those that are homeless and have nowhere to go are the ones most vulnerable to the virus because even in shelters they are not safe due to the amount of people sharing a space. While encouraging social distancing, it would also be helpful for the government to think about those who have no home and perhaps provide them with hotel rooms or free living in order to keep them safe, healthy, and off the streets at this time. Because while we're in our comfy homes being educated on how the virus works and how to prevent and remain healthy they have no heads up or information on how to protect themselves and they're the most vulnerable. The media should also be contained because although their job is to get the juiciest story and be dramatic, they've caused a large amount of unneeded panic within the country. They should focus on educating and preparing the country rather than spooking people with death rates and "most recently infected".
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas Tamia - read my reply to Ty above, telling him about local charities doing exactly what you suggested about homelesss - but to your point, that money is probably not enough to keep the homelss sheltered for long. Why do we have to rely on private charities - maybe the state or the federal government should also budget some money for that kind of relief?
DeleteAlso, you mentioned the government is doing a good job of "enforcing social distancing". Are they? Are some people able to be irresponsible, and consequently put others' in jeapordy because there is no enforcement? But how would we feel having uniformed / armed national guardsment patrolling the streets?
I think that limiting the number of people gathering in a certain place at a time is a step in the right direction since this virus is so contagious; airborne viruses like this one have lots of success spreading where they can reach hundreds of people at a time. School closings, though they have put teachers and students in inconvenient positions whether it be finishing out the school year or taking the ACT, are necessary for the flattening of the coronavirus curve. I do agree that society shouldn't just shut down but I also believe that any businesses besides ones selling food and essential items should close for a while even though it will definitely affect the economy. The sooner this virus goes away, the sooner society can continue and we won't have to worry about a huge shutdown again.
ReplyDelete