Conservative and Liberal Come Together to Save the World!

So yesterday I agreed with a local republican… Well, I say republican. I don’t know what anyone technically is these days. But suffice it to say, we don’t normally discuss politics, because we generally don’t agree.

The amazing part is, we agreed on two things. One of the “right” things, and one of the “left” things!

It was nice. Felt like 1990.

Ah, 1990, before Rush Limbaugh, and before people became right wing dickheads.

Both of us felt like the time for a national economic shutdown was over. We won’t see one of those like we did in March and April.

But both of us also felt like people should shut up and put on a mask.

How about that?

Two seemingly opposing viewpoints, especially if you’re watching the national news, realizing there is practical common intelligence, within them both!

Look, don’t get me wrong. This is not Sadat and Begin at Camp David. This is more like a SALT treaty. We’ve just achieved a détente.

But it makes sense. I hope.

Maybe after decades of sensationalist, ratings driven journalism, and now the rise of social media misinformation, people are beginning to syphon out the truth. I mean, at some point, there had to be a high water mark of media garbage, right?

Okay you’re right. We’re probably not there yet. But this was a good start.

If this is your CEO’s haircut, it’s time to sell your Facebook stock.

So, allowing businesses, etc., to stay open during a pandemic might seem to the casual viewer as a stark abandonment of common sense. But the truth is, back in March, they just didn’t know.

This virus is not about a sweeping death toll. It’s about a targeted death demographic, people with cardio-pulmonary and other weakened immune systems. And this generally, although not specifically, is people over the age of 70.

So unlike the Walking Dead, where everyone had the virus, and everyone ended up the same way, dead, this one basically only lethally attacks a small percentage.

The problem is, that small percentage is a huge amount of people. And because of how easily this virus spreads through airborne water droplets and from asymptomatic people, the likelihood of this target group catching it, is very high! And generally, according to the CDC, and based on what has happened not only here but around the world, between 5–10% of that target group is going to die.

So, if you have a community of 30,000 people. And 12 percent or 3600 are over the age of 70. And say half of this group, 1800 or so catch Covid 19, but only half of that group show any symptoms, say 900, that still means you have 900 who are severely ill!

Of those severely ill, again, over the age of 70, statistics show between 12–17% of those will be hospitalized. That’s between 108–153 needing hospitalization.

And you have a hospital with 5 ventilators, and 142 beds.

And finally, about 90 of those folks will die.

Not sure how many ventilators, but only 142 beds. WEAR A MASK, dumbass!

So having all this information, now, is it necessary to shut down everything?

Is it necessary for everyone to shelter at home?

It certainly seems scary enough to warrant that. Or does it?

Wouldn’t it be better, and this is what the old, republican, libertarians used to ask, for each of us to take responsibility for our own safety? As well as the safety of others?

Given the amount of information we all should have. Given the statistics available to us regarding social distancing, water droplets, and mask wearing. Shouldn’t we, as heads of households, as businesspeople, and as government leaders, be responsible enough to intelligently take advantage of this information?

This is how it should be done. This is what we all “should” do.

And so there is the bridge crossed. Right and left come together. These are your answers people. Businesses will stay open. But you got to wear a mask.

So do it.