Re:Shelter in place for Bay Area counties
by solidasparagus on Monday March 16, 2020 @07:37PM
(#22599545)
I think my point is more that the pandemic + this sort of government response inherently pits the young vs old. The government has enacted a sweeping lockdown (unprecedented loss of freedom AFAIK^) that overwhelming hurts people of working age for the benefits of high-risk older people. But where is the help for those that now can't pay their rent or buy enough food? That situation inherently breeds resentment at a time where resentment is already a mainstream topic.
^This matters because it shows that the government is capable of taking dramatic action
Re:Shelter in place for Bay Area counties
by arcticbull on Monday March 16, 2020 @11:19PM
(#22601280)
> The government has enacted a sweeping lockdown (unprecedented loss of freedom AFAIK^) that overwhelming hurts people of working age for the benefits of high-risk older people.
Be sure to tell grandma how much you care, junior.
> But where is the help for those that now can't pay their rent or buy enough food?
Folks in California are eligible for up to $1800/month in unemployment benefits.
> That situation inherently breeds resentment at a time where resentment is already a mainstream topic.
Response to a disaster should breed solidarity.
The older generation also solved a lot of problems, and gave us great gifts, as did every generation before them, and as we will for the ones that follow us.
It's not productive to try to pit the young against the old, and the GP is right to point out that you too will be old one day, if you're lucky, so it's certainly unwise to reform the system so that it discriminates against the very group you should hope to join someday (and sooner than you would imagine, sooner than anyone wishes), especially considering the alternative.