We could use math to estimate how many MORE Americans would be dead if the USA had the same death rate as Sweden.
It would be in the thousands.
IIRC, Sweden when the "herd-immunity" route so their statistics will be skewed.
We could use math to estimate how many MORE Americans would be dead if the USA had the same death rate as Sweden.
It would be in the thousands.
IIRC, Sweden when the "herd-immunity" route so their statistics will be skewed.
Hello Dutch Uncle,
Herd immunity or herd mentality?
Or is it both...
Herd immunity. I think it helps to be atheist and anti-religious. Therefore all decisions come down to secular issues like money and resources which can be put into a mathematical formula. Cost of fighting the virus vs the cost of just letting it run its course.
Since COVID mainly kills old people who are dependent upon the state for support, not fighting an old people-killing disease is a "twofer"; no money is spent fighting it and it removes liabilities off the state ledger. Win-Win!
Sweden is #2 behind China for "irreligion". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_irreligion
There's a correlation. What other nations went the Herd Immunity route that are in the Top 10 of atheists? Do you really think China cares if 2% of their population dies off?Hello Dutch Uncle,
What a strange theory. To me, logic and religion are opposites. Faith is believing in something for which there is no proof. Logic is believing in things which are evidence-based. There is no evidence that herd immunity can be reached without unacceptable sacrifice. Herd immunity is not a plan. It is what happens anyway if there is no effective plan.
There's a correlation. What other nations went the Herd Immunity route that are in the Top 10 of atheists? Do you really think China cares if 2% of their population dies off?
Hello Dutch,
I cannot speak for other atheists. I can only speak for myself. Atheists are not organized. We are individuals who think for ourselves and do not accept old stories simply because they have been passed down from generation to generation. Unlike religion, there is no effort to indoctrinate people into atheism. Each atheist arrives at their belief system in their own way. I think it is pretty difficult to attribute many traits common to atheists because the only thing they really have in common is they simply do not believe in theism.
It sounds like you are saying China took the herd immunity approach. I am not so sure that is true. They went into drastic lockdowns.
So? The state of Sweden is organized by the world's largest population of atheists. Are you saying those attitudes, beliefs/disbeliefs and mindsets don't develop into a culture?
As for China, they're atheist socialist totalitarian government will do whatever is best for the state, not the people. Who, in your opinion, should serve whom: The state serve the people or the people serve the state?
Hello Dutch Uncle,
Oh, have no doubt of it at all. The government is there to serve the people. But that does not absolve the population of their part. A functional democracy depends on a well informed and actively engaged populace. The people vs the government is a two-way symbiotic relationship. In a self-government We, The People, need to watch our government and know what's going on. All of those people in Washington DC work for US. If we are not managing their efforts well enough and they get outta control, do stuff we don't like want or need, that's on us. We,The People. We put them there. It's up to us to hold them accountable. I always have to laugh when I hear somebody putting down our system and claiming there's nothing we can do about it and I ask them if they vote and they say no.
I know far too many people who just want to block politics and the news all out and let others deal with it. How unpatriotic. If everyone did that the nation would quickly reach it's demise. We can't afford to take it for granted. As citizens it is our responsibility to pay our fair taxes and manage our government. That needs to be taught in school. Emphasized, so that all understand. We have far too much apathy in the US.
Yesterday was a better day for the USA.
There were 41K new cases, which is better than it has been although still not good, but deaths were kept to 510.
Caution on optimism here: There seems to be a dip in deaths each weekend, with a 1 day lag. The lowest weekly numbers are on Sunday and Monday, with the other 5 days being higher.
Active Cases dipped again to 2.516 million, down from 2.526 million. (Who knows if that will last, probably not.)
Another encouraging figure was the number of Active and Serious Cases, down to 16.5K.
Let's hope this is a new trend, and not simply the 'calm before the storm,' the storm being a new surge associated with opening up schools too soon.
Note that the Republicans wimped out on their massive COVID rally for their convention. They socially distanced, prerecorded most of their presentations and all the live ones were sans audience. I guess they were concerned about losing to many voters by November.
Hello Dutch Uncle,
Yeah, we don't hear that lie about the coronavirus being a hoax any more. Delegates were required to be tested, avoid social contact, enter a RNC bubble.
What a difference from the Tulsa rally that killed Herman Cain.
More Republicans must be speaking up behind the scenes.
...vs. what they say outside of Trump's ears.Hello Dutch Uncle,
There must be a huge difference between what Republicans say publicly vs what they say privately.
...vs. what they say outside of Trump's ears.
Let's not forget how the Republicans fought Trump in the first two years. They were also caught by their own petards because Trump was the Republican President and they were still fighting the Democrats as BT (Before Trump as opposed to AT, After Trump in January).
Hello Dutch Uncle,
I don't think all those speakers really believed everything they said last night.
How could they not know better?
Such outrageous stuff.
Republicans make things up about Democrats to make them seem bad.
All Democrats have to do to make Republicans look bad is quote them.
I think they truly believed having Republicans in charge of the government was better than having the Democrats in charge. This isn't just about Trump and Biden you know.
Hello Dutch Uncle,
I don't doubt that one bit. But that's no justification for just making things up out of thin air.
When a Republican tells you things about a Democrat, it is usually something simply made up.
When a Democrat talks about a Republican they don't have to make anything up. The truth about Republicans is troubling enough.
Comparing Democrats to Republicans is comparing truth tellers to liars.