Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by JackFr on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @02:56PM (#24214579)

On of the problems with the lockdown orders was that to a large extent they were arbitrary with respect to what was essential and open ended with respect to time. Such a prohibition could be effective if the public trusted the people or process which led to the lock downs, but the people showed themselves scarcely worthy of our trust and there really was no process.

"We believe in science" is a fine mantra, though it doesn't directly lead to "liquor stores are essential". Our political elites were unable to resist politicizing every decision, gloating over others' misery and/or misrepresenting outcomes for political gain.

So, yeah, basically now it seems like many people are deciding for themselves.

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Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by curryst on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @06:25PM (#24217500)

I think some of the "essential" businesses were more essential to people maintaining their sanity than essential for people to survive. It was a "bread and circuses" play. Liquor stores and dispensaries are on that list; if you're going to lock everyone down for an extended period of time, they're going to get bored. Bored people get unhappy, and unrest increases. Letting people have their booze and weed increases the amount of time they can cope with the cabin fever (although there are certainly downsides).

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Re:Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition by tacocataco on Thursday August 20, 2020 @12:45PM (#24225229)

Severe alcoholics will die without booze, but you're still right.

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