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> that needs to be weighed against destroying all of our economic institutions. No it doesn't. Like the statement alone doesn't even have any credence, let alo

> that needs to be weighed against destroying all of our economic institutions. No it doesn't. Like the statement alone doesn't even have any credence, let alone following through with it. Incredibly daft.

CryptoPunk 6y ago
Economic institutions sustain people's lives. Declining productivity translates to loss in life expectancy.
- JoeAltmaier 6y ago
  If everything else remains unchanged. Which it isn't. Changes are happening every day. And nobody plans to stay in this mode forever. Medicine is making tremendous progress at an astonishing rate. They just need time. Stay patient.
  - CryptoPunk 6y ago
    There are viral infections for which vaccines were never successfully developed, despite over a decade of research and trials. There is no guarantee a vaccine will be developed for SARS-CoV-2 in anything approaching a timely manner. People need to weigh the costs and risks of a near total freeze on economic activity against those of letting the virus run its course until herd immunity develops.
    - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
      There are 115 trials underway. There are 100,000 very smart investigators working day and night. There has already been tremendous progress. My niece works at a lab developing a cheap test. Two of their researchers have already died of this virus (they went to work despite the risks). Don't make fools of them, by falling into despair and negativity.
      - CryptoPunk 6y ago
        A vaccine for HIV was never found. I hope they succeed in creating a vaccine for COVID19, but resting the lifting of a highly destructive mass-lockdown of healthy people on a hope, is reckless. Contingency plans need to be created; a definite end date for the lockdowns, irrespective of whether a vaccine exists.
- pgsbathhouse2 6y ago
  The ability to produce food or manufacturer essential items doesn't suddenly disappear. If you think money flow suddenly makes things disappear remove your brain worm. You know what can disappear, become depleted, or stretched to thin? Trained medical personal. And money flow can't replenish that resource.
  - CryptoPunk 6y ago
    First of all, please don't be uncivil. Getting upset and insulting people is no way to discuss a complex issue. As for your post; that ability gradually disappears, just as it gradually builds up when the economy is functioning properly. Capital depreciates. A washing machine breaks down, and in the absence of a repair service provider, or an ability to pay them, the washing machine loses its utility, and a person's quality of life regresses, which has long term implications for their health. Beyond simple equipment malfunctions, the complex interplay of incentives, trust and relationships that constitutes a productive enterprise are also disrupted and destroyed by shocks and bankrupties. It takes years to get a productive enterprise up and running. The bankruptcies happening now will hurt the production of goods/services for years to come. Fewer goods/services translates to a lower quality of life from less labor-saving specialization/technology, which in turn increases the strain on individuals, and thereby reduces their life expectancy. The economic factors that affect life expectancy are far more numerous and complex than an inert piece of equipment for harvesting crops or manufacturing goods, and your analysis ignores all of that. You should at least be able to grasp the implications of the statistical evidence, which clearly show that all things being held equal, every percentile drop in GDP is associated with a drop in life expectancy. To discount the Economy's relevance to human life is deeply misinformed. >>You know what can disappear, become depleted, or stretched to thin? Trained medical personal. And money flow can't replenish that resource. Completely irrelevant to my point. I wasn't suggesting that minimizing strain on the healtcare system isn't important, or even that it isn't more important than avoiding doing some amount of harm to the general economy. I was simply contesting your claim that the Economy is irrelevant to sustaining human life. I am criticizing how you rudely implied that even suggesting the damage to it should be weighed against the deaths caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, deserves nothing but derision and contempt.

CryptoPunk 6y ago

Economic institutions sustain people's lives. Declining productivity translates to loss in life expectancy.

JoeAltmaier 6y ago
If everything else remains unchanged. Which it isn't. Changes are happening every day. And nobody plans to stay in this mode forever. Medicine is making tremendous progress at an astonishing rate. They just need time. Stay patient.
- CryptoPunk 6y ago
  There are viral infections for which vaccines were never successfully developed, despite over a decade of research and trials. There is no guarantee a vaccine will be developed for SARS-CoV-2 in anything approaching a timely manner. People need to weigh the costs and risks of a near total freeze on economic activity against those of letting the virus run its course until herd immunity develops.
  - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
    There are 115 trials underway. There are 100,000 very smart investigators working day and night. There has already been tremendous progress. My niece works at a lab developing a cheap test. Two of their researchers have already died of this virus (they went to work despite the risks). Don't make fools of them, by falling into despair and negativity.
    - CryptoPunk 6y ago
      A vaccine for HIV was never found. I hope they succeed in creating a vaccine for COVID19, but resting the lifting of a highly destructive mass-lockdown of healthy people on a hope, is reckless. Contingency plans need to be created; a definite end date for the lockdowns, irrespective of whether a vaccine exists.
pgsbathhouse2 6y ago
The ability to produce food or manufacturer essential items doesn't suddenly disappear. If you think money flow suddenly makes things disappear remove your brain worm. You know what can disappear, become depleted, or stretched to thin? Trained medical personal. And money flow can't replenish that resource.
- CryptoPunk 6y ago
  First of all, please don't be uncivil. Getting upset and insulting people is no way to discuss a complex issue. As for your post; that ability gradually disappears, just as it gradually builds up when the economy is functioning properly. Capital depreciates. A washing machine breaks down, and in the absence of a repair service provider, or an ability to pay them, the washing machine loses its utility, and a person's quality of life regresses, which has long term implications for their health. Beyond simple equipment malfunctions, the complex interplay of incentives, trust and relationships that constitutes a productive enterprise are also disrupted and destroyed by shocks and bankrupties. It takes years to get a productive enterprise up and running. The bankruptcies happening now will hurt the production of goods/services for years to come. Fewer goods/services translates to a lower quality of life from less labor-saving specialization/technology, which in turn increases the strain on individuals, and thereby reduces their life expectancy. The economic factors that affect life expectancy are far more numerous and complex than an inert piece of equipment for harvesting crops or manufacturing goods, and your analysis ignores all of that. You should at least be able to grasp the implications of the statistical evidence, which clearly show that all things being held equal, every percentile drop in GDP is associated with a drop in life expectancy. To discount the Economy's relevance to human life is deeply misinformed. >>You know what can disappear, become depleted, or stretched to thin? Trained medical personal. And money flow can't replenish that resource. Completely irrelevant to my point. I wasn't suggesting that minimizing strain on the healtcare system isn't important, or even that it isn't more important than avoiding doing some amount of harm to the general economy. I was simply contesting your claim that the Economy is irrelevant to sustaining human life. I am criticizing how you rudely implied that even suggesting the damage to it should be weighed against the deaths caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, deserves nothing but derision and contempt.