7 ms·

That death rate is insane. How can republicans do effectively nothing about this public health disaster? I am singling out republicans rather than the political

That death rate is insane. How can republicans do effectively nothing about this public health disaster? I am singling out republicans rather than the political class generally as right now they have control of most state legislatures and governorships, control of congress, control of the senate, control of the supreme court, and control of the presidency. If they wanted to do something to address this, they can do it. Evidently they would rather people just die.

znaji 8y ago
Have you looked at the dates on the chart? https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CDC-Overdose-deaths-chart-2.jpg https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CDC-Over...
- a_humean 8y ago
  Congressional elections: 2016: 246-194 Republican 2014: 247-188 Republican 2012: 234-201 Republican Six year incumbency.
  - yostrovs 8y ago
    What about the other elections?
    - a_humean 8y ago
      Senate: 2016: 52-46 Republican 2014: 54-44 Republican 2012: 53-45 Republican 2010: 51-47 Republican 8 years incumbency
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
DtnB 8y ago
https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids/ ?
cissou 8y ago
wouldn't the article suggest exactly the opposite of what you're saying? as in, since they control all branches, the crisis has started to improve?
yostrovs 8y ago
I think it's just too easy to write "republicans" in a comment. For a good chunk of the population that's enough to convince them that it's "republicans". Even for the author of the comment, once it's written it has to be defended and you can only become adamant about defending what you said not too long ago.
deleted 8y ago
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deleted 8y ago
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dang 8y ago
Please don't take HN threads into political flamewars. Those are all the same, therefore boring; plus we don't want this place to burn. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- a_humean 8y ago
  I'm sorry. Next time I'm be more indirect.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
zaroth 8y ago
First, the chart is showing the number of deaths in the previous 12 month period. Second, this isn’t a political football. This is something that every American can look at and agree that we need to be bringing powerful tools (regulatory, legal, policy, aid, EMS, hospital, pharmacy, education, volunteer, etc.) in a concerted and coordinated effort to fix this. Third, any efforts are obviously going to take time to show up in the death rate, but even if we are turning a corner will need to be sustained across administrations. One could sensibly make the argument that the root of the problem is the carving out of the middle class and manufacturing base of the country that occurred solidly during Obama’s years as a result of the push toward globalization. The massive economic improvement as a result of the tax cuts and deregulation since Trump’s election has helped get people whose jobs were “never coming back” to become gainfully employed again and motivated to face the hard fight against opioid dependence. But in the end it’s just finger pointing / and falsely ascribing causation to correlation to try to score political points or demonize the “other side”.

znaji 8y ago

Have you looked at the dates on the chart? https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CDC-Overdose-deaths-chart-2.jpg https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CDC-Over...

a_humean 8y ago
Congressional elections: 2016: 246-194 Republican 2014: 247-188 Republican 2012: 234-201 Republican Six year incumbency.
- yostrovs 8y ago
  What about the other elections?
  - a_humean 8y ago
    Senate: 2016: 52-46 Republican 2014: 54-44 Republican 2012: 53-45 Republican 2010: 51-47 Republican 8 years incumbency
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]

DtnB 8y ago

https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids/ ?

cissou 8y ago

wouldn't the article suggest exactly the opposite of what you're saying? as in, since they control all branches, the crisis has started to improve?

yostrovs 8y ago

I think it's just too easy to write "republicans" in a comment. For a good chunk of the population that's enough to convince them that it's "republicans". Even for the author of the comment, once it's written it has to be defended and you can only become adamant about defending what you said not too long ago.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

dang 8y ago

Please don't take HN threads into political flamewars. Those are all the same, therefore boring; plus we don't want this place to burn. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

a_humean 8y ago
I'm sorry. Next time I'm be more indirect.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

zaroth 8y ago

First, the chart is showing the number of deaths in the previous 12 month period. Second, this isn’t a political football. This is something that every American can look at and agree that we need to be bringing powerful tools (regulatory, legal, policy, aid, EMS, hospital, pharmacy, education, volunteer, etc.) in a concerted and coordinated effort to fix this. Third, any efforts are obviously going to take time to show up in the death rate, but even if we are turning a corner will need to be sustained across administrations. One could sensibly make the argument that the root of the problem is the carving out of the middle class and manufacturing base of the country that occurred solidly during Obama’s years as a result of the push toward globalization. The massive economic improvement as a result of the tax cuts and deregulation since Trump’s election has helped get people whose jobs were “never coming back” to become gainfully employed again and motivated to face the hard fight against opioid dependence. But in the end it’s just finger pointing / and falsely ascribing causation to correlation to try to score political points or demonize the “other side”.