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>Keep in mind this is NOT a solution to keep people safe, this is a solution to allow US businesses to re-open sooner. It actually makes people less safe, and s
by eezurr 7y ago
>Keep in mind this is NOT a solution to keep people safe, this is a solution to allow US businesses to re-open sooner. It actually makes people less safe, and seeks to compensate by robbing people of privacy all so that business can resume.
Privacy concerns aside: This is a decision of saving lives and trying to get the economy going; this seems like one of the better solutions out there. We cannot shut down the economy for a long period of time. Doing so would tear apart the fabric of society, both financially and the quality of life. The shut down would last many months, all depending on the rate of spread before herd immunity is reached/staying under the capacity of our hospitals. Prevention of loss/death should not completely eclipse our purpose of being alive.
As an example, if we maintained a 4% daily growth with our current level of shut down (using NYC numbers), herd immunity would not be reached until the beginning of July. Middle of September at 2%^. As Cuomo said, we can print as much money as we want, but if there aren't any revenues, the economy is not being taken care of.
Also, this type of tracking probably already exists. Android/Google has an opt out GPS history. I woudln't be surprised if this data wasn't already being crunched and used.
^ This assumes the true amount of people who have contracted coronavirus is 5 times higher (based on 80% asymptomatic cases)
- rabidrat 7y ago> Prevention of loss/death should not completely eclipse our purpose of being alive. The economy is not our purpose for being alive! The "economy" directs our best and brightest to work on adtech and HFT for the benefit of people who are already rich. The economy underpays teachers, nurses, cooks, and other "essential" workers. The economy is the reason we cut taxes and defund the CDC. The economy has people continue to work while they're sick during a global pandemic because otherwise they won't be able to pay their rent. The economy has figured out how to do some interesting things, which are not for the benefit of most people nor society as a whole. The economy is not our purpose for being alive!
- jki275 7y agoDo you think the ideals you argue for exist without an economy?
- rabidrat 7y ago"An economy" is not the same as "the" economy. It seems like it should be possible for an economy to be able to contribute to the welfare of society as a whole, and most individuals within that society. However, "the" economy that we have, does not do so. It is a severe indictment of our economy, that pausing all nonessential activity for a few months can be catastrophic to so many people, and for no good reason. As the old joke goes, "we have enough food, it's too bad there isn't enough money to buy it all".
- jki275 7y agoI think it actually does, otherwise those people wouldn't be employed at all. And I'm curious, you say it should contribute only to "most individuals" -- which ones, specifically, in your framework, should be excluded?
- gitrog 7y agoYou're making it sound as if the economy in the abstract sense is the thing that is employing people. Those people would still definitely be employed in a "different" economy, since an economy is simply a space in which people trade goods and services. And I don't think his framework actively excludes people, it's just that economies almost never contribute to all individuals equally.
- jki275 7y agoWell, "the economy in the abstract sense" is the thing that is employing people. Claiming that those people would still definitely be employed in a different economy is simply saying it would be the same economy. And the claim was that this utopian new economy would contribute to the "welfare of society as a whole, and most individuals within that society", so I'm curious who isn't covered under that "most".