Millions of people are losing their jobs. Businesses are closing down. The government is putting trillions of dollars of debt on our backs. And as of right now, we don’t know when this will be over. It could be another month. It could be another two months. Or three.
Once it is over, will there be jobs for people to go back to?
I don’t think anybody knows how, or whether, this is going to work.
The conspiracy theorists say it’s a huge power grab of some kind, and … I have to admit that in a lot of ways it seems like that.
A few things are certain. When the crisis is over …
+ we’ll be more dependent on government than ever
+ government will have seized more powers, and we won’t even know what they all are
+ we’ll be many trillions of dollars further into debt
All the conditions you stated are true. Yet, my question to the conspiracy theorists is… “what’s the alternative?” Should the government not do anything or significantly less? It seemed that was tried initially and it contributed to the US being the world leader in reported infections. It would be interesting to see if conspiracy theorists proposed solutions (if they have any) are better and could simultaneously protect public safety and the economy.
I’m not really sure what the conspiracy theorists believe. I’ve only heard bits and pieces. I doubt their focused on solutions.
The U.S. response isn’t the only option, of course. It’s not a choice between no action and “close everything down.”
Also, this is an interesting article:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/03/31/time_for_a_second_opinion_142817.html
That’s my issue with conspiracy theorists. Typically, they are the ultimate naysayers but without much input on solutions. Ironically, the article rightly highlights a need for another option but doesn’t seem to offer a specific one.
Generally, I agreed with the article and especially how it suggested that a call to facts and rationality is essential. Yet, there was one exception based on the sentiment expressed in the quote below. It seemed to suggest the tendency to believe the worst and overreact was somehow relative to Trump’s presidency. That tendency was happening long before he was president. It’s a common human response and other presidents have had to endure it (particularly during times of crisis).
QUOTE: “From the moment of Donald Trump’s election, respected editorialists and political commentators said his election would ensure everything from a global recession to existential threats to our Constitution. Donald Trump, to too many members of Congress, was “a dictator” and someone who was “tyrannizing our communities.” He reminded them of “Germany in the 1930s.” The front-runner in the Democratic Party, Joe Biden, even said our president is “an existential threat to America.” This, all long before anyone knew where Wuhan was or what social distancing meant. That irresponsible rhetoric, analysis, and forecasting has helped pave the way for simply too much panic, or paranoia—a tendency to believe the worst, a disposition to overreact.”
Lastly, once again it seems people are stuck on extremes…either panic or consider it a hoax. Given the novelty of Covid-19, shutting things down is likely necessary for a period (the length is debatable). Yet, we cannot destroy everything in the process of controlling it. We also can’t minimize the impact and go back to business as usual without more concrete insight. Until that insight is gained, it’s likely that caution tempered by rationality is best in addressing something this novel, dynamic and potentially dangerous to a significant swath of society.