COVID-19 (Aka China Virus)

[FLEA]

9 hours ago, dream big said:

Most incompetent administration in history. What do they have to gain by pushing the mask mandate? There has still got to be a large portion of their voting base that is obsessed with masks and terrified of COVID or something. 

I live in a liberal stronghold and still see lots of people masking. Its not required anymore and the majority dont. Mask prevalence now reminds me of Japan though pre-covid. Where its not like EVERYONE is wearing a mask, but you aren't surprised when you see it. 

[Prozac]

11 hours ago, dream big said:

Most incompetent administration in history. What do they have to gain by pushing the mask mandate? There has still got to be a large portion of their voting base that is obsessed with masks and terrified of COVID or something. 

To be fair, they aren’t really trying to get the mask mandated re-instated. DOJ is in court because it believes it should have the right to mandate such measures during times of crisis. Their position is that the courts wrongfully stripped them of such right. You’re certainly free to disagree with DOJ’s position. I have mixed feelings, personally. I actually think it’s a good thing this is being litigated because it will set a precedent going forward. Let’s look at this for what it is though (the system, doing what it’s supposed to do) and not get into the histrionics & misdirection of saying the DOJ wants to re-institute masks at this time. 

[Prozac]

1 hour ago, FLEA said:

I live in a liberal stronghold and still see lots of people masking. Its not required anymore and the majority dont. Mask prevalence now reminds me of Japan though pre-covid. Where its not like EVERYONE is wearing a mask, but you aren't surprised when you see it. 

I noticed a kid at my son’s bus stop wearing a mask this morning. I asked him if her parents were back to household masking. He said “nope, she’s just got a little cold & is masked up until she feels better”. This is a cultural shift that I can actually get behind & might be one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic. 

[dream big]

48 minutes ago, Prozac said:

To be fair, they aren’t really trying to get the mask mandated re-instated. DOJ is in court because it believes it should have the right to mandate such measures during times of crisis. Their position is that the courts wrongfully stripped them of such right. You’re certainly free to disagree with DOJ’s position. I have mixed feelings, personally. I actually think it’s a good thing this is being litigated because it will set a precedent going forward. Let’s look at this for what it is though (the system, doing what it’s supposed to do) and not get into the histrionics & misdirection of saying the DOJ wants to re-institute masks at this time. 

And that makes it any better? In fact, that is much worse! I don’t want the FEDs having that much power. I couldn’t care less about wearing a mask, we bought custom fit ones at my old unit with custom cloth that was quite comfy (probably not “CDC legal” but WGAS). If a private business wants to impose a mask, by all means I’ll comply. What I’m not comfortable with is the Federal Government having the ability to make sweeping regulations that will likely be driven by emotion and politics rather than science and reason. Masks might not seem like a big deal, but if masks can be mandated on a federal level then what next? These questions are important, especially since you mentioned judicial precedent. 
 

Now before someone mentions seatbelts…those are usually mandated at a state level which I’m much more okay with because the whole point of the 10th amendment was for states to legislate as they see fit what is not in the bill of rights. Also, seatbelts are a lot less invasive so.. 

[Prozac]

1 hour ago, dream big said:

These questions are important, especially since you mentioned judicial precedent. 

You’re making my point for me. Wouldn’t you rather have this go through the judicial system than have DOJ assume they can do whatever they want? Of course, there’s a risk the ruling will go their way, but that’s how our system works. Not everyone is going to like every result. 

[disgruntledemployee]

2 hours ago, Prozac said:

I noticed a kid at my son’s bus stop wearing a mask this morning. I asked him if her parents were back to household masking. He said “nope, she’s just got a little cold & is masked up until she feels better”. This is a cultural shift that I can actually get behind & might be one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic. 

Don't wear a mask to school if you're sick, stay home.  There.

[FLEA]

Just now, disgruntledemployee said:

Don't wear a mask to school if you're sick, stay home.  There.

I would 100% like to agree with this but that is 100% the opposite of how are society culturally operates. We generally expect people to tough it out and meet their obligations if they are sick. In the private sector sick days can be really taboo. In schools you get in trouble if you miss too much class, etc....

Now, one thing I did find interesting, my local area which as extreme winters, is ending snow days next year. Turns out they purchased all of this virtual classroom equipment and decided now when they need to weather cancel bussing they can just conduct classes on zoom. (This is a win)

What they are also examining is hiring a virtual staff to deal with sick days as well. If you are home sick, you will attend a zoom session with a few other kids and an online tutor. He/she will coordinate with your primary teacher, get the work for that day, and help you stay up on that topic before you feel better enough to go back. (Also a win)

But I can never see us getting to the point en masse where if you are sick just stay home. 

[gearhog]

"The last time we were here in Davos was January 2020..."

 

[FourFans]

21 hours ago, torqued said:

"The last time we were here in Davos was January 2020..."

 

Get the 'terp in here.  I don't speak baguette.  

A: Epstein didn't kill himself

B: Vaccines weren't magically available on time

Does that mean that the plague was unleashed on the world and on a specific timelime?  NO.

No.  Does it mean that a lot of self-minded organizations might have decided they could serve their own self-interests by acting together at very much the same time?  Not out of the realm of possibility.  ESPECIALLY considering the fact that the 2nd order effects hit them all differently.

Everyone wants to hit the pop-up double.  Not everyone it ready to score, and some people sacrifice a runner to log those two scores.  

There is no NWO or some WEF plot.  It's really a bunch of back stabbers who want to profit in their own short term game.  If you think some WEF James Bond villain can ACTUALLY CHANGE 'THE MARKET"  then, why on earth do you continue to support that faction in your buying amazon, etc.

...

Edited January 20, 2023 by FourFans130
Whiskey

[arg]

Some recent news about the virus in China.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/27/china/rural-china-lunar-new-year-covid-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Nice ass

[filthy_liar]

On 1/19/2023 at 1:58 PM, FLEA said:

I would 100% like to agree with this but that is 100% the opposite of how are society culturally operates. We generally expect people to tough it out and meet their obligations if they are sick. In the private sector sick days can be really taboo. In schools you get in trouble if you miss too much class, etc....

Now, one thing I did find interesting, my local area which as extreme winters, is ending snow days next year. Turns out they purchased all of this virtual classroom equipment and decided now when they need to weather cancel bussing they can just conduct classes on zoom. (This is a win)

What they are also examining is hiring a virtual staff to deal with sick days as well. If you are home sick, you will attend a zoom session with a few other kids and an online tutor. He/she will coordinate with your primary teacher, get the work for that day, and help you stay up on that topic before you feel better enough to go back. (Also a win)

But I can never see us getting to the point en masse where if you are sick just stay home. 

Flea you say this, but I don't think that's really being honest.  Do people push it and come to work when they shouldn't?  Sure.  Are they doing that en masse?  No.  No they are not.  If people feel like shit, they stay home.  Period.  Because if you're sick, you're sick.  There's no way you are going in, sick days or not.  And maybe we have different definitions of being sick.  If I'm sick, I can't function.  It's a pretty big deal.  It's not a "well I might be sick."  If I'm sick, it is a very very rare occasion.  People are taking advantage of the sick days, which interestingly enough, is now a federal mandate.  How very predictable was this.

[FourFans]

On 1/28/2023 at 8:23 PM, filthy_liar said:

If people feel like shit, they stay home.  Period.

On 1/28/2023 at 8:23 PM, filthy_liar said:

If I'm sick, I can't function.

On 1/28/2023 at 8:23 PM, filthy_liar said:

If I'm sick, it is a very very rare occasion. 

Your upper-middle-class-first-world is showing.  I'm guessing you haven't missed a meal or wondered where your next rent payment will come from in quite some time.  I would estimate that a high percentage of working class America needs that money, as they live paycheck to paycheck, so if they can physically make it to work, they're going, no matter how bad they feel, because they need to get paid. You strongly appear to view the world through filthy_liar shaded glasses, through which everyone can and should make decisions and understand the world the way you do. 

Assuming you are, indeed, an upper-middle-class, non-blue collar, or even retired individual, as the tenor of your posts would indicate, your economic and social status make you vastly the minority in the US and the world. 

I recommend some travel.

Edited January 30, 2023 by FourFans130

[VMFA187]

Buddy of mine who refused the vaccine just got called into legal. They asked if he wanted to continue his separation or return to active duty. He said the latter but wanted his record scrubbed of the adverse fitrep and page 11s. It was already done. They asked him what orders he wanted, he received orders to a new squadron that is standing up, which he requested. He also is going to receive all back pay, about $110k. 

[uhhello]

1 hour ago, VMFA187 said:

Buddy of mine who refused the vaccine just got called into legal. They asked if he wanted to continue his separation or return to active duty. He said the latter but wanted his record scrubbed of the adverse fitrep and page 11s. It was already done. They asked him what orders he wanted, he received orders to a new squadron that is standing up, which he requested. He also is going to receive all back pay, about $110k. 

wow

[Blue]

1 hour ago, VMFA187 said:

They asked him what orders he wanted, he received orders to a new squadron that is standing up, which he requested. He also is going to receive all back pay, about $110k. 

Damn.  Perhaps there is some justice.

Curious - what kind of back pay was he owed (I assume he was still getting paid while winding through the separation process)?

How long was he "in limbo" for, and what was he doing the whole time (stuck in a desk job somewhere)?

On the whole, was this ultimately a benefit or hinderance on his career?  Was his choice in orders to that new squadron something that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise?

[VMFA187]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

Damn.  Perhaps there is some justice.

Curious - what kind of back pay was he owed (I assume he was still getting paid while winding through the separation process)?

How long was he "in limbo" for, and what was he doing the whole time (stuck in a desk job somewhere)?

On the whole, was this ultimately a benefit or hinderance on his career?  Was his choice in orders to that new squadron something that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise?

He was kicked out of his squadron about 15 months ago and sent to the MAG. He was on admin hold, receiving Tricare but no pay for about the last nine-ish months. He did immediately start working once his pay ceased. 

[Swizzle]

3 minutes ago, VMFA187 said:

He was kicked out of his squadron about 15 months ago and sent to the MAG. He was on admin hold, receiving Tricare but no pay for about the last nine-ish months. He did immediately start working once his pay ceased. 

Great question therein: for Reserves and ANG, are they getting full time/credit regardless of what they would’ve normally completed. In others words, full/AD time/pay for a TR who typically min-runs his time? If so, what a deal…

[VMFA187]

14 minutes ago, Swizzle said:

Great question therein: for Reserves and ANG, are they getting full time/credit regardless of what they would’ve normally completed. In others words, full/AD time/pay for a TR who typically min-runs his time? If so, what a deal…

No idea about the Reserves/Guard. However, getting backpay is the least they can do after threatening to destroy someone's livelihood with an Other Than Honorable discharge. 

I wouldn't be surprised if that was one carrot to use to try and avoid lawsuits. 

[FUSEPLUG]

4 hours ago, Swizzle said:

Great question therein: for Reserves and ANG, are they getting full time/credit regardless of what they would’ve normally completed. In others words, full/AD time/pay for a TR who typically min-runs his time? If so, what a deal…

No words yet from the ANG yet.  All I want are the back points for a good year so I can get off this sinking ship posthaste.

[BFM this]

5 hours ago, VMFA187 said:

He was kicked out of his squadron about 15 months ago and sent to the MAG. He was on admin hold, receiving Tricare but no pay for about the last nine-ish months. He did immediately start working once his pay ceased. 

If by immediately start working you mean line number at a legacy, this story will go legendary status.

[Pooter]

11 hours ago, VMFA187 said:

Buddy of mine who refused the vaccine just got called into legal. They asked if he wanted to continue his separation or return to active duty. He said the latter but wanted his record scrubbed of the adverse fitrep and page 11s. It was already done. They asked him what orders he wanted, he received orders to a new squadron that is standing up, which he requested. He also is going to receive all back pay, about $110k. 

Glad they're trying to make things right, but I do have a question for your buddy.  Military and gov't leadership hasn't changed, and the vaccine requirement was only rescinded after multiple years of consternation and a gradual shift in public opinion/medical data.  But who's to say a bad variant doesn't pop up and then the military reinstates the mandate?   If your buddy was ready to separate over this, and now he's back in, isn't he just exposing himself to the possibility of the same thing happening again?   

Personally I see the issue differently, but if I was so dead set on not getting vaccinated that I was ready to separate, a simple "whoopsie we're sorry" from the DOD would not be enough to keep me around.  

[Lord Ratner]

10 hours ago, Pooter said:

Glad they're trying to make things right, but I do have a question for your buddy.  Military and gov't leadership hasn't changed, and the vaccine requirement was only rescinded after multiple years of consternation and a gradual shift in public opinion/medical data.  But who's to say a bad variant doesn't pop up and then the military reinstates the mandate?   If your buddy was ready to separate over this, and now he's back in, isn't he just exposing himself to the possibility of the same thing happening again?   

Personally I see the issue differently, but if I was so dead set on not getting vaccinated that I was ready to separate, a simple "whoopsie we're sorry" from the DOD would not be enough to keep me around.  

Dude just got paid 100k for time he didn't have to work. I'd love to have that lightning strike twice.

[VMFA187]

13 hours ago, Pooter said:

Glad they're trying to make things right, but I do have a question for your buddy.  Military and gov't leadership hasn't changed, and the vaccine requirement was only rescinded after multiple years of consternation and a gradual shift in public opinion/medical data.  But who's to say a bad variant doesn't pop up and then the military reinstates the mandate?   If your buddy was ready to separate over this, and now he's back in, isn't he just exposing himself to the possibility of the same thing happening again?   

Personally I see the issue differently, but if I was so dead set on not getting vaccinated that I was ready to separate, a simple "whoopsie we're sorry" from the DOD would not be enough to keep me around.  

Flying fighter jets is a hell of a drug. 

[filthy_liar]

On 1/29/2023 at 10:33 PM, FourFans130 said:

Your upper-middle-class-first-world is showing.  I'm guessing you haven't missed a meal or wondered where your next rent payment will come from in quite some time.  I would estimate that a high percentage of working class America needs that money, as they live paycheck to paycheck, so if they can physically make it to work, they're going, no matter how bad they feel, because they need to get paid. You strongly appear to view the world through filthy_liar shaded glasses, through which everyone can and should make decisions and understand the world the way you do. 

Assuming you are, indeed, an upper-middle-class, non-blue collar, or even retired individual, as the tenor of your posts would indicate, your economic and social status make you vastly the minority in the US and the world. 

I recommend some travel.

Is my middle class first world showing?  Is my white privilege showing also?  Good lord.  I am around folks who make 30 - 40k per year.  They don't go in if they have the sniffles.  They don't go in if their kid has the sniffles.  What world are you living in?

You seem to be mixing America with the world.  I was responding to Flea, whose comment was about Americans.  Thank you for the recommendation to travel though.  I shall look into that.

[FourFans]

21 minutes ago, filthy_liar said:

What world are you living in?

Working class America.  Perhaps get out of your echo chamber.