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Lucky for you that politics doesn’t have any direct influence on your life, but in the US having a semi-functional government during the Covid pandemic would ha

Lucky for you that politics doesn’t have any direct influence on your life, but in the US having a semi-functional government during the Covid pandemic would have led to a lot fewer deaths and a lot less economic damage.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
BeetleB 6y ago
And whether stevecalifornia had his attitude or didn't wouldn't have changed that.
- ssalazar 6y ago
  Nearly anyone is capable of voting, helping with voter turnout efforts, donating to campaigns and advocacy groups, and voicing their opinions in public or private regarding political situations and outcomes. You can't conclude from "I don't have full control of the outcome" to "nothing I will do will matter". For many upper-middle class technology professionals it may be true that the personal outcome is not evidently different (but you might be surprised), but for many people this is drastically not true.
  - BeetleB 6y ago
    > You can't conclude from "I don't have full control of the outcome" to "nothing I will do will matter". I agree, as did stevecalifornia. It seems you're arguing against something that was not claimed by the relevant commenters.
tomjen3 6y ago
And keeping up with politics changes that how? You have no power to change anything, no reason to enjoy the comfy seats on the train just because it is heading into a wall when you can't stop it.
makomk 6y ago
That idea actually seems like a good demonstration of how corrosive politics actually is. Like, if you look at the actual evidence... France, whose current leader was hailed as the anti-Trump by the US media, is at about 1 Covid death per thousand (and they're not the worst-affected in Europe, not by a long shot), the US is at 1.2, former success story the Czech Republic is about 1.3. The evidence just doesn't seem to support the claim at all. Yet because the current President of the US is hated by the press, every right-thinking person knows otherwise.
- raxxorrax 6y ago
  Very true. I expect the next government to end the lockdown almost immediately and will sell management as a complete success.
- rchaud 6y ago
  The death rate doesn't capture the full impact of covid. As ICUs fill up, they delay treatment for patients that have non-Covid related illnesses that still require an ICU. The criticism of the President comes from the demonstrable fact that he simply did not take it seriously, and constantly contradicted and undermined the scientific leadership in an attempt to prop up the stock markets long enough to win re-election.
- ssalazar 6y ago
  Yeah no. If you think that cherry picking facts counters the US government's waffling on basic preventative measures like mask-wearing, public contradictions of lifelong non-partisan health experts, and failing to muster sustaining economic relief then I don't have time to argue with you. The fact that the richest country in the world has had the worst statistical response to Covid in terms of cases, deaths, and hospitalization speaks volumes.
frockington1 6y ago
This is a great example of why not to watch the news. You are fuming over something you cannot control
- ssalazar 6y ago
  You seem to be mistaking me for someone else.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

BeetleB 6y ago

And whether stevecalifornia had his attitude or didn't wouldn't have changed that.

ssalazar 6y ago
Nearly anyone is capable of voting, helping with voter turnout efforts, donating to campaigns and advocacy groups, and voicing their opinions in public or private regarding political situations and outcomes. You can't conclude from "I don't have full control of the outcome" to "nothing I will do will matter". For many upper-middle class technology professionals it may be true that the personal outcome is not evidently different (but you might be surprised), but for many people this is drastically not true.
- BeetleB 6y ago
  > You can't conclude from "I don't have full control of the outcome" to "nothing I will do will matter". I agree, as did stevecalifornia. It seems you're arguing against something that was not claimed by the relevant commenters.

tomjen3 6y ago

And keeping up with politics changes that how? You have no power to change anything, no reason to enjoy the comfy seats on the train just because it is heading into a wall when you can't stop it.

makomk 6y ago

That idea actually seems like a good demonstration of how corrosive politics actually is. Like, if you look at the actual evidence... France, whose current leader was hailed as the anti-Trump by the US media, is at about 1 Covid death per thousand (and they're not the worst-affected in Europe, not by a long shot), the US is at 1.2, former success story the Czech Republic is about 1.3. The evidence just doesn't seem to support the claim at all. Yet because the current President of the US is hated by the press, every right-thinking person knows otherwise.

raxxorrax 6y ago
Very true. I expect the next government to end the lockdown almost immediately and will sell management as a complete success.
rchaud 6y ago
The death rate doesn't capture the full impact of covid. As ICUs fill up, they delay treatment for patients that have non-Covid related illnesses that still require an ICU. The criticism of the President comes from the demonstrable fact that he simply did not take it seriously, and constantly contradicted and undermined the scientific leadership in an attempt to prop up the stock markets long enough to win re-election.
ssalazar 6y ago
Yeah no. If you think that cherry picking facts counters the US government's waffling on basic preventative measures like mask-wearing, public contradictions of lifelong non-partisan health experts, and failing to muster sustaining economic relief then I don't have time to argue with you. The fact that the richest country in the world has had the worst statistical response to Covid in terms of cases, deaths, and hospitalization speaks volumes.

frockington1 6y ago

This is a great example of why not to watch the news. You are fuming over something you cannot control

ssalazar 6y ago
You seem to be mistaking me for someone else.