Peter Hitchins quotes a British writer in asking the tough question of tradeoffs:

"The real question is, is this serious enough to warrant putting most of our
population into house imprisonment, wrecking our economy for an indefinite period,
destroying businesses that honest and hardworking people have taken years to build
up, saddling future generations with debt, depression, stress, heart attacks,
suicides and unbelievable distress inflicted on millions of people who are not
especially vulnerable, and will suffer only mild symptoms or none at all?"

Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but the answer given by our elites in
the political, cultural and entertainment sectors is "Yes."

Let's stipulate that the current crisis is fraught with ambiguity and that there
appear to be no easy answers. Let's even stipulate that coronavirus is a
once-in-a-century threat to mankind. And let's further stipulate that all of us
should be taking prophylactic measures to the best of our abilities.

Still, given those stipulations, we are not discussing this question in the centers
of power around the country. Instead, we hear Andrew Cuomo, Bill Gates and others
echoing Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey: "There is no price too high to save a
life." Bill Gates is calling for a ten week shutdown of the entire country.

It is obvious to me that these people do not understand two things: (1) the
fragility of human liberty embodied in the modified free market system, and (2) the
nature of moral choice.

Most of our elites have never had to make a cost-benefit choice in their privileged
lives. Bernie Sanders certainly seems never to have confronted honestly the question
of scarcity of resources and the loss of personhood implicit in relative poverty.
His secure existence in American plenitude allowed him the time and money to travel
the world, spend his time with the ruling classes of the most oppressive regimes
imaginable, and then return home extolling the virtues of the drab totalizing
systems that wined and dined him.

Anyone who has faced a tough moral choice knows that the preservation of individual
lives at all cost is not merely destructive, but immoral in itself. One wonders if
our absolutist elites have ever had to remove life support from a family member,
give up hope in the face of a recalcitrant son or daughter, or withhold support from
a free-loading loved one.

The potential destruction of millions of lives, present and future, by shutting down
the means of livelihood and the loss of assets on the part of the many, all for the
sake of the relative few, is a historically cataclysmic decision. Yet we are
proceeding as though such a matter is beyond discussion.

But our culture has been trending this direction for two or three generations
already, so this is simply the same mentality only writ large. We have been willing
to sacrifice the rights, values and fortunes of millions of traditional Americans
while indulging the interests and passions of tiny minorities to the point that our
survival is at stake.
Whether it is an individual life or lifestyle, we cannot throw over all that our
civilization has attained in a desperate quest that may have more to do with
self-regard than with the common good.

More common sense from this Englisman...

14 March 2020 11:00 PM
PETER HITCHENS: Yes, coronavirus poses a risk - but our response to it is not intelligent or useful. Britain is infected... by a bad case of madness

CAPTION

This is Peter Hitchens’s Mail on Sunday column

Yes, you are right. We have gone quite mad. I know that many people are thinking this, but dare not say so.

I will be accused of all kinds of terrible things for taking this view – but that is another aspect of how crazy things are.

Yes, coronavirus poses a risk. No, our response to it is not intelligent or useful. In fact, I think it is increasingly damaging and will soon become more so.

The key word here is proportion. There is nothing wrong with simple, practica (Con't here):
https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.c...t-is-not-intelligent-or-useful-brit.html

We have been taught since kindergarten to be prepared.
To live well below our means just in case we need reserves on hand.
To have enough resources to survive at least a three month emergency situation

Three weeks of strict quarantine doesn’t seem unreasonable

The Japanese economy was completely destroyed during WWII. The buildings, the people, the infrastructure, everything. They rebuilt in just a few years from absolutely nothing. The guys arguing a shut down is going to completely destroy the economy and ruin generations of lives have no more proof of that than the folks arguing the virus is going to kill millions. We are in completely uncharted waters. NOBODY knows how this is going to turn out.

What I do know economically is that the people are still here. The factories are still here. The roads are still here. What makes America, America, is still here. A partial shut down changes none of that.

Talking in extremes, as far as I can tell, is unproductive.

Nobody is arguing. They are providing you facts you have not yet encountered. Don't ignore facts from those you choose to dismiss.

What were the facts I missed in the opinion essay?

Sometimes I feel like the actions taken shutting down businesses is akin to putting up a light and cross walk on the Interstate. It's sure enough going to reduce crossing fatalities but at what cost? More importantly, is there another approach to addressing the problem? In hindsight we should have shutdown inbound travel to the US rather than shutdown so much of the interior activity. I'm still floored the career people at the alphabet agencies didn't have a plan for this.

Handy elevated crosswalk with fencing to keep idiots from jumping into traffic. See there are alternate approaches.

Amazing how quickly the sanctity of life, family values, and All Lives Matter got tossed aside.

[quote=Jpurdue]The Japanese economy was completely destroyed during WWII. The buildings, the people, the infrastructure, everything. They rebuilt in just a few years from absolutely nothing. The guys arguing a shut down is going to completely destroy the economy and ruin generations of lives have no more proof of that than the folks arguing the virus is going to kill millions. We are in completely uncharted waters. NOBODY knows how this is going to turn out.

What I do know economically is that the people are still here. The factories are still here. The roads are still here. What makes America, America, is still here. A partial shut down changes none of that.

Talking in extremes, as far as I can tell, is unproductive. [/quo


With the assistance of the US, it took approximately 15 years for the rebuild of Japan. After the COVID-19 epidemic settles down, no one will come out unscathed. It will be each up to each countries own resources as to how they recoup from what I believe is going to be a drastic blow to economies. I hope for the best and brace for the worst.

I agree 100% we should have shut down inbound travel immediately. I'm no lover of Trump, but it's tough for me to be too critical though. Very dicey unprecedented situation.

I'm guessing you have sat through many planning meetings to develop Disaster Plans for unprecedented scenarios. The career people at these agencies have meetings to discuss meetings about these meetings. It's what they do. I'm surprised there's not a plan filed away that was to be followed to address an outbreak of this kind. I don't understand why we aren't talking about alternative plans to allow businesses to reopen following new guidelines. The sooner the better.

Its fascinating that anyone would compare the 1946–1954 Japanese economic miracle with the 2020 US economy. Have you seen our workforce?

We will be fine. The economy shuts down pretty regularly during hurricane season for weeks on end lots worse than this. Once things clear up the economy will build back to where it was. We already mortgage companies giving breaks and others as will others. It will be tough, no doubt. If your one of the blessed ones, bless somebody else when they're in need. It will take everybody helping everybody. We will come out better and stronger, I have no doubt about that.