Amid all the bad news swirling around in the midst of this terrible pandemic, there all the stories of human behavior outside of the life or death struggle of those infected. There are the stories of the healthcare workers grueling 12 hour days fighting a losing battle in overcrowded and under-equipped wards. There are the people in NYC who - at 7:00 PM every night - lean our their windows to cheer on those same workers. There are the volunteers who help feed the homeless and the helpless and the poor.

And then... there are the idiots. You know who I'm talking about. They're the ones driving around governors' mansions and hospitals, demanding that "stay at home" orders be lifted, so they can get haircuts and other - you know - basic human necessities. There are some (especially in VA) trying to somehow tie these life-preserving tactics to an imaginary drive to take away their guns. It's pathetic... surreal... dangerous.

It's mostly democratic governors, because they are less likely to tow the tRump line, and more likely to believe what scientists are telling them. They are asking VP Pence for help dealing with the naysayers, and for some support. Naturally, that puts Pence between reality and crazy cuckoo tRumpy who seems to be encouraging armed revolt in these states. It's not just democratic governors, though. In MD, republican governor Larry Hogan incurred tRump's wrath by doing what tRump said he should do - find his own solution. tRump - the brainless narcissist - had the gall to paint Hogan as "clueless". More projection...

There is some light on the horizon. Computer models project when states might be able to start easing restrictions - but it should be noted this does NOT mean a return to "normal". It means easing, which might be a difficult distinction for tRump and his supporters who tend to "think" in a more binary fashion.



What happens, though, if we ease the restrictions too soon, or ease them too much? There's a lesson to be learned in Scandinavia. Sweden did not implement any restrictions at all, and its death rate is 10 times as high as neighboring countries:

The article goes on to say that America's rate is 13.1 deaths per 100K people. That reflects our haphazard (and late) approach to dealing with the contagion. There is an argument to be made that the virus will spread with or without the lockdowns and social distancing - but it will take longer and have a more prolonged economic impact with the precautions in place. As we've seen in NYC, the problem with a spike in cases is a lack of hospital beds, ventilators, etc. While spreading it out may hurt the economy more, it provides a greater chance of saving the lives of those infected.

So that leaves us with the argument - what matters most to you: people's live or the economy?